Target Locked
by WitchyGirl99
Summary: Kagome has the story to make her career, but the mafia doesn't like leaks. Trapped, Kagome is forced to work with FBI Taisho. Together, they are the biggest target in history. Because not only does the mafia want them dead, but the world does too. InuKag
1. Chapter 1

**Hoorah! Another story! Please, enjoy this one. It's a mixture of Loyal Traitor and Imaginary. I really like the idea and hopefully, I can make it work. I don't actually have anything planned for this so I'll just have it going as I type.**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha._**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter One_

* * *

"We're on in five," a female voice said from behind the large video camera sitting on her shoulder.

A young woman stood facing the camera lens, watching the glass with intensity as she awaited her cue. Her mind raced, details of the case and the suspects flowing through her head at an impossible speed. She had to remember to say his name right too. Morikawa, Morikawa…

"And on screen in three, two, one…"

A woman standing before the lens smiled, albeit timidly at first before relaxing as she became accustomed to her element. She loved her job and kept smiling even though there was no one but her best friend and camerawoman before her. She knew that regardless of the little action that was happening there, on live television were her fellow anchors, Kouga Matsuno and Ayame Kakazu, introducing her and the story she was about to present. She could hear them on her earpiece, saying her name and the incredible topic which she was to speak of. The story of a lifetime.

The story that was going to make her career.

Sango Houko, her best friend and the one who was videoing her held up her fingers. She made the motion of three, two, one… And she was on.

"It's one of the biggest cases of all time. For over a year, a drug called _Demon X_ has been circulating around the city. _Demon X_ is not only a drug that allows for its users to feel unstoppable and invincible, but allows certain death to those who are addicted.

"It doesn't take long. The first time you feel like the world revolves around your feet, and that no comic book superhero come-to-life could stop you. The second time is much like the first, until you sober up. Hallucinations, foaming, vomiting and record high fevers follow and those that survive are already so addicted, they can't stop. It's more powerful than crack, ecstasy, crystal meth, or any other drug circulating out there. _Demon X_ is surely the drug that could kill us all.

"When anonymous tips were given to police officials, they immediately called in the FBI. A drug this strong that is sold for more than fifty dollars a gram means business. FBI commander Sesshomaru Taisho was able to get to the drug lord, Naraku Morikawa, and arrest him for several charges, including drug trafficking and first degree murder for the death of Kikyo Hidaka. With his fall, more and more warehouses full of _Demon X_ is being found, and leads are being followed with great success. Mr. Morikawa's trial begins on January 12th, just two weeks from now.

"But there are still more questions. How did Mr. Morikawa get to this drug, and get the money to make it what it is today? Several sources claim that the Brotherhood Mafia is behind this, as well as other low-end gangs like the Panthers. But where are the connections? I'll keep you updated with all of this and more with my story at eleven. This is Kagome Higurashi, RCN news."

* * *

"That fucking bitch!"

His hollow voice roared through the disgusting room, resonating off of the many beer bottles and ripped apart walls. He flung the remote control at the television, watching as her perfect pale face flittered off of the screen, being replaced by two attractive news anchors leading up to news about sports, and then turning off.

The batteries must have fallen out, he thought to himself as he leaned back into a torn up vomit-green couch. He covered his face with his eyes and sighed. How stupid.

What a stupid little bitch.

She had no idea what she was getting into doing what she was doing. Throwing names out there like partner-less socks. The Brotherhood Mafia this. The Panthers that.

She was dead. Just dead.

And that was all there was to it.

He sighed once more and uncovered his eyes, staring at the once white ceiling above him. There was a fan in the middle, probably holding more dust on it than all of the little particles in the already musty air. He really needed to get a housecleaner.

He rolled his head, feeling the muscles in his neck stretch. Slowly, he braced himself up off of the couch and walked towards what would be considered the kitchen. It was no more than a room with a small seven-foot counter as the only stable surface to prepare and eat food on. A beat up fridge that matched the not-so-attractive colour of the couch stood in the corner was opened as the man pulled out a cold beer.

Coors Light.

The mountains had even changed their fucking colours.

"Stupid bitch," he cursed, thinking once more about the reporter. Kagome Higurashi. Jesus Christ.

She was hot, he'd give her that. She was probably a good fuck too. Long legs, damn sweet curves, wild hair… She was too good to be true –literally and figuratively. She was naïve, stupid. No reporter, no matter how good the pay, would risk their life to leak out information about the Brotherhood Mafia. Or any of the gangs that dealt with Naraku, like the Panthers. And to call them a low-end gang!

Ha! She was going to be dead in minutes. Minutes!

He wouldn't be surprised if he turned the television back on with news regarding the girl's so-called "untimely" death. What a fucking joke. She was the fucking stupid bitch. But this talk was getting him nowhere because he knew that he was avoiding the real problem –the real mistake. Him.

The information he held had been worth much more than his life and he hadn't protected it well enough. There would be repercussions of course, but he knew that he was close enough on the inside to make it out. Besides, he had valuable information.

He sauntered back over to the couch and collapsed, careful not to spill his beer. Yup, it was only a matter of time. Here, on this disgusting couch, he would wait for his _master_. His boss. The reason his bills were getting paid and beer was in the fridge.

Gatenmaru Koyasu closed his eyes.

And then opened them.

His chapped lips formed a wicked smile. He didn't bother moving; already hearing the slight footsteps as they made their way through the shack of a house. There was only one thing that disturbed Gatenmaru, though he didn't think much of it.

But he should have.

"I was waiting for you," Gatenmaru called out, following a swig of his beer. It was already almost done. "I thought you'd be by later but of course, knowing you, sooner should always be expected."

There was no reply, but he hadn't expected one.

"So what do you need? I can go back and see if I can gather some more information on that bastard, or I can go and extend out some courtesies…"

"You can shut up."

Gatenmaru's eyes flew wide. That wasn't his boss. "Who the fuck are you, bitch?"

A female entered, and she couldn't have looked more out of place. Large black bug-eyed sunglasses covered the majority of her face. She had deep red lips with rosy cheeks. Her body was smokin' and he wished, god did he wish, that he had took that package of condoms from his friends. Fuck, she was hotter than hell. Her black trench coat clung to her body and she had to be wearing a skirt or shorts underneath because all her saw with that coat on was bare legs. It wasn't that cold in Coral, Florida during the winters, but it was hardly short and skirt weather.

"I'm your best friend," the female stated, her voice holding a slight drawl.

"Really," Gatenmaru said, smiling. "And why's that?"

Suddenly, the female smiled wickedly. She took off her glasses with her black leather-covered gloves and sighed. "Because I get to end your miserable, shitty life for you. You can't tell me that anyone who lives _here_ is happy."

Frowning, Gatenmaru got off of the couch, wary. "What the fuck do you mean, end my life? If you're thinking of killing me bitch, you're thinking wrong."

She laughed. She _laughed_! It was like he had just said the funniest thing in the entire world.

"Do you know just _how_ many men have said that? I think that if I had a dollar –no, wait, a fucking penny– for every time that's come up, I would be a billionaire. Not that I'm not rich…this jacket is five-hundred dollars. But that's not the point. The point is you _will_ die."

Gatenmaru's eyes searched his place for some sort of saviour. An exit, a weapon, anything. All that he saw, however, were dusty beer bottles, a broken chair and a few scattered pens and pencils.

Fuck this, he thought. He was strong and he knew it.

"And what are you going to do?" Gatenmaru spat.

The female smiled again, but it was alluring. Sexy, he thought, though it wasn't what he should be thinking. How many men, he wondered, had fallen under her spell and died because of it?

"Why," she started, "I'm going to drug you."

"Drug me?"

"With the very drug you're so against. _Demon X_. Are you ready?"

Gatenmaru snorted. "Try and get here to shove it down my throat. I'll snap that pretty little neck of yours before you even get close."

"Oh," she pouted. "You're right. How am I ever going to kill you?"

Gatenmaru stared hard.

"Oh, that's right. With this."

The next thing Gatenmaru felt was excruciating pain as his chest heaved up and down painfully. His sight…it was so blurry. All of a sudden, he couldn't move. He thought his body had collapsed to the floor but he wasn't sure. All he could see was random colours, all mixed together like pretty rainbows.

His body was stiff. Was he dead? He felt around his body, or so he thought, and where he thought would normally be smooth skin he felt…a tube. A tube?

He grasped at it and in one swift motion pulled it out. He cried out, but didn't feel any pain. Actually…he felt amazing. More than amazing.

He blinked a few times, feeling the effect of the drug kick in. When he opened his eyes and really focused, he saw what was in his hands. A dart; like tranquilizers that were shot into animals from a far range. So that's how the bitch got to him.

Where the fuck was she?

Gatenmaru was up on his feet before he even fully registered that he wanted to go find her. His feet moved swiftly across of the dirty floor and Gatenmaru could actually feel the air whoosh past him as he walked into the kitchen. Wow. No wonder people loved this shit.

He found her easily enough. The hot bitch stood out from his mouldy walls like a star in the sky.

"You," Gatenmaru said huskily. He breathing was quick, he realized. Too quick. He was panting like a fucking dog for a bone. Actually, he felt like he couldn't breathe at all.

The bitch was smiling at him. "You feel it don't you? The lack of air. That's what _Demon X_ does to you in lethal doses. Yes, yes, I know you're wondering, 'How does powder turn into serum to be injected? Well heat breaks it down into this crap. Thin enough, thank god, to shoot through a tranquilizer dart. Anyways, at least you know how you're going to die. Um, would you mind telling me where the papers are?"

"Papers?" Gatenmaru wheezed. He should have been killing her! He should have been wringing her gorgeous neck, snapping it… But instead, all he was thinking about was how quickly the room was spinning.

"Oh god," the female sighed. "You're on the floor. You're going to die faster than I thought you would. What a shame."

Was he on the floor? Gatenmaru couldn't be certain. At least nothing hurt. He felt amazing, besides the lack of oxygen. He lifted his head to look around but it fell swiftly back on the floor, too heavy. Yup, he was definitely on the floor.

"Where are the papers?" the woman pressed. He thought that her heels were on his stomach. When he didn't answer right away, she jabbed her heel into him.

"Drawer… Bedroom…"

"Lovely," she murmured, though he barely noticed. He couldn't see anymore, it was all black. Were his eyes open? He thought so.

"Oh well, you're not much fun." The woman removed her heels from his body and walked towards his head. She kneeled down and a smooth, cool feeling washed over his head. She was patting him softly and he sighed. The cool leather felt good.

Suddenly it was gone and Gatenmaru began panting heavily once more. He was dying, he thought. Slowly. Leisurely. He never thought that he was going to die so young. He was just under thirty and he realized, with a stab that he had done nothing –_nothing_– to make his life worthwhile. No one was going to miss him. No one was even going to know that he was gone. It was going to be like he never existed.

Cold, hard metal pressed against his forehead and it didn't take Gatenmaru long to figure out what it was.

"I'm…dead anyways. Why…shoot me?"

"I'm a hitwoman," the female explained. "And you are being executed."

He wheezed. She smiled and whispered, "Target locked."

And she fired the gun.

* * *

"What do you think?" Kagome Higurashi asked, looking at her best friend and camerawoman Sango Houko.

"Perfect," her black-haired friend answered, lowering her camera. Magenta eyes searched Kagome's face, missing nothing. "What's wrong?"

Kagome shrugged, running a hand through her own black hair. "I don't know. It doesn't feel right. Something's up with this case, more than Myoga was letting us in on."

Myoga Ogata was both Kagome and Sango's boss. As the director and news editor of RCN news, he controlled all of the stories and chose who would capture each one.

"You're right," Sango agreed. "He was off. He looked…nervous, almost."

"As if he didn't want to give us the story," Kagome finished. "Yeah, I got that feeling too."

For a moment, the girls stood in silence, staring at the building they stood before. It was a courthouse where Naraku Morikawa, the drug lord of _Demon X_, was being held for trial. Sango was directed to obtain shots of him leaving the courthouse to be used later on the late night news show. Naraku was due to be out in only a few more moments and the two ladies had to wait until they got the shots before they could leave.

"So are you coming to the party on Friday?" Sango asked, speaking of the New Year's party that their good friend Miroku was throwing.

Kagome smiled, her perfect white teeth flashing. "You know I wouldn't miss it for a world. But I have no clue on what I'm going to wear."

Laughing, Sango shook her head. "Darling, everyone's going to be so drunk, they probably won't even remember. Not only that, but you could make a garbage bag look sexy."

"Oh, shut up," Kagome hissed, jokingly. "So could you. And Miroku is going to drool all over you no matter what."

Sango turned red. "He would not."

"He would so. Sango, I honestly can't believe that you don't notice how much he cares. It's obviously he likes you."

"You've said that since grade _four_," Sango complained. "I'm positive you're just seeing something that isn't there."

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Kagome asked. "Look, how about we drop this subject, because you know I'm right, and we'll talk about it when we're hammered on New Year's."

"I think I can live with that," Sango smirked. "So what time do you want me to pick you up?"

"Um, nine? We should probably head out in the morning. Can you imagine all of the women at the malls looking for last minute party dresses like we are?"

They both shuddered, and then laughed.

And that's when the noise started. At least thirty other reporters were their with their camera crew, scoping out the scene. The bust of one of the biggest drug lords in the city was a huge story and every reporter wanted a piece of the pie. The doors were opening and walking out with a swarm of guards was Mr. Naraku Morikawa and his lawyer, Mr. Moryomaru Asato. Questions were thrown at them at a million miles an hour. The demands were sharp and fast, and Moryomaru and Naraku ignored all of them. They were simply walking out of the courtroom doors and towards a dark sedan, as if they were the only two people in the entire world. Sango and Kagome ran to a spot right beside the vehicle, Sango already filming footage as Naraku walked towards them. Reports screamed his name, trying to get his attention and speak about the accusation thrown at him.

Naraku ignored all of them, but as he waited for Moryomaru to open the door to the back of the sedan, his gaze fell upon Kagome and he smiled chillingly.

"Now, why aren't you screaming like the rest of them?" he asked. Kagome stared him down, taking note of his features. His hair was midnight black, with hints of violet that blew in the light breeze. His bangs covered the tops of his alarming eyes, red, just like the colour of his lips. Overall, his features were very feminine and if he cross-dressed, he probably wouldn't have any trouble pulling the woman-thing off. His voice was deep and when he spoke again, it stirred her out of her thoughts.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Naraku laughed mockingly and even though the door was open and waiting for him, he ignored it and walked towards the reporter and camerawoman.

"Hardly. I was just staring into the face of a killer, that's all," Kagome hissed back. She knew that Sango was shutting down the news camera, because the sound was no longer hooked up and she had already obtained the shots needed.

"Fierce, you are. And who's your friend? The both of you are so…beautiful."

"Thanks," Sango said, rolling her eyes. "It's not everyday I hear that from a killer."

"And what makes you think I'm guilty of these crimes?" Naraku questioned, staring them both down.

Kagome laughed. "I don't know, the evidence? Ballistics matched the bullets from your gun to the bullets used to kill Kikyo Hidaka. Traces of _Demon X_ could be found on the vast majority of your belongings and clothes. You show standard symptoms of someone that is around the chemicals used to make it, such as yellow finger-tips and dry, infected cuts on the palms of your hands. Oh, and they found your billing system for selling it? And all the addresses, under your name, that led to the warehouses?"

"Hardly what matters," Naraku sighed, waving his hand as if you fan away the evidence. Suddenly, he leaned in close. "You know, I could make the both of you rich beyond anything. I could give you anything. You could take anything. You'd be the most powerful females out there…"

"Under you," Sango scoffed. "No thank you."

"By why not? Surely, you don't believe I murdered that whore?"

Moryomaru Asato finally put a hand on Naraku's shoulder. "I would advise that we leave. You are being filmed on camera," he murmured. He looked around to all of the television cameras that zoomed in on their conversation.

"Oh, I know. Give them a show. I'm not guilty. I don't care." He squared his shoulders and looked at everyone. Then, he returned his gaze to Kagome and Sango. "Kikyo Hidaka… Her death was unfortunate. However she died."

"So you plead innocent to murder?"

"I plead innocent to everything. Of course."

His smile was devastating but Kagome could only feel disgusting with it. "You really are sick, you know that?"

"You don't believe me, do you? You're positive I murdered her," he replied, his eyes narrowing.

"Absolutely. Your blood was found at the scene _and_ you skin cells were under her nails. The evidence is damn incriminating."

"Then how about this," Naraku cooed, staring at both Sango and Kagome. "Do you know what Kikyo looked like?"

"Her face torn apart, body parts falling off from all of the hacking you did to her? Yeah, I've seen the post-mortem picture, you freak," Sango retorted, venom dripping from her voice.

"No, that's not what I meant," he corrected.

"Mr. Morikawa, I would advise you now to get into the car. Now," Moryomaru hissed, his voice low. His hand was suddenly on Naraku's arm, pulling him towards the sedan with no avail.

"Give me a minute," Naraku hissed back. "I pay you, remember?"

"Not when you're incriminating yourself!" the lawyer muttered back. Their voices were so low that only Kagome and Sango could hear. The microphones and cameras around them probably couldn't pick anything up.

"I meant," Naraku started, ignoring his lawyer and turning his attention back to the girls, "what Kikyo looked like before she died."

Kagome was taken aback, as was Sango. The two girls looked at each other before Kagome sighed. "No, we haven't."

"Go find it," Naraku purred, smiling at Kagome wickedly. He paused for a moment to wave at the cameras and then returned. "You are extremely beautiful. It would be just so…tragic…if you were to have the same fate as that Kikyo Hidaka girl."

Kagome felt her blood go cold. She stared at him, his red eyes piercing her dark brown ones. She looked away immediately, suddenly feeling insignificant. She felt like a rabbit pinned by a bloodhound. She couldn't explain the feeling that trembled in the bottom of her stomach and her felt her body shiver.

"Get you dog on a leash," Sango hollered to Moryomaru, angry. "He's threatening her. He's threatening her!" She made sure that every camera and reporter was aware of the fact. Reporters started screaming, shoving their way towards him with more ferocity than before. He was making threats and they wanted to be the first to report it.

Kagome was dragged to their work van and Sango was in the driver's seat, starting the van. She turned up the heat and let it warm up while she searched the web on her Blackberry. Kagome watched her expression and despite the heat blasting from the vents, she shivered once more when she watched Sango's face go pale. "What?"

Sango handed her the mobile and showed Kagome the picture.

Kagome took one look at the familiar face and shook so much the phone fell to the floor. Because Kikyo Hidaka looked exactly like her.

* * *

**Please review and let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is always welcome and any questions you have, feel free to ask.**

**To Come: **_"'Do you see that?' the mortician asked. 'See the burnt flesh around the bullet wound? This man had the gun pressed against his forehead. When the gun went off, the heat burnt the surrounding flesh.' Inuyasha closed his eyes. 'This wasn't just a murder. This was a fucking execution.'"_


	2. Chapter 2

**I rewrote this chapter a few times, hence it being late.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

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**Target Locked**

_Chapter Two_

* * *

"Fuck."

"Pardon me, Agent Taisho?"

FBI Special Agent Inuyasha Taisho glared golden eyes towards the mortician, scowling. "Do I need to repeat it Jaken?"

Jaken Nagashima was an odd fellow. He was at least sixty years old, with dark leathery skin and beady eyes. His sense of humour was twisted and the mortician was usually more out of it than in.

Inuyasha's scowl changed to a smirk as he realized that most morticians had to be a little odd in the head to succeed at their job. Cutting open the dead and determining the brutal ways in which they died wasn't something the vast majority of people could do. When Jaken nodded wordlessly, tittering on about something profound, Inuyasha sighed and returned his heated gaze to the dead body.

"We're lucky to have found him," Inuyasha commented. "We're lucky to have gotten to him before the fucking vultures did."

"You're language, Agent Taisho, is astonishing," Jaken remarked, examining the body thoroughly. "But yes, we are lucky. There's quite a lot of blood here, and this shack doesn't have much closure from the outside elements. Those black vultures could've smelled the blood easily from their position in the sky."

"And they're still out there." Inuyasha straightened himself up. "Protected by state and federal law, those damned things are. Regardless, wrap the body up tight and let me know the moment you're finished with the preliminary."

"I always do, Agent Taisho." Jaken patted the body down, checking for anything in his pockets. "No ID," he called out before Inuyasha left.

"I figured," was Inuyasha's sole retort. He walked out of the kitchen of the shack and towards the outdoors, but before he exited the building, he swore he heard Jaken speak.

"I guess we'll just have to call you John Doe, my little carcass. I won't let the vultures get you, I promise." And then his laughter filled the air.

Inuyasha frowned at the mortician's behaviour but continued out towards his Dodge Nitro that sat just at the end of the gravel driveway. He jumped into the SUV and grabbed his cell phone out of his jacket pocket. He dialled a number he'd recently memorized and waited impatiently for the other end to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Where the hell are you? I've been here for almost an hour."

"I told you I was going to be delayed. What more do you want from me?"

"To be here, you little pest. Do you want to learn anything Shippo?"

"Don't be a tight ass," FBI Special Agent Shippo Watanabe scoffed on the other end. "I just got back from Tampa Headquarters. Bokuseno called me in for review."

"Yeah? And while you were gone we've had a murder."

There was a momentary pause as Shippo processed what Inuyasha said. Finally, he spoke, albeit slowly. "COD?"

"Bullet to the head. The CFPD called in after they realized that something was off about the scene. Apparently, our John Doe was involved in some organized crime. He had a back room with so many guns, I stopped in my tracks. Handguns, machine guns, the works."

"Well, I'm about thirty minutes away."

"Hurry your ass up, Shippo," was all Inuyasha said before hanging up. He threw his phone back into his jacket pocket and sighed. Forensics had already been called and they were to search the shack of a house with a fine-tooth comb. Once Jaken left with the body, all he had to do was wait for forensics to finish and hopefully get him an ID on his John Doe.

Inuyasha was just about to step out of the Nitro when he saw Jaken run towards the vehicle and hop into the passenger seat.

"I hope you don't mind," Jaken said immediately, watching Inuyasha's reaction. "I don't really like the idea of vultures circling overhead."

"Right." Inuyasha glowered at Jaken. "The kettle will disperse soon enough, but you have to get rid of the body first. I didn't even see you leave with the body yet."

Jaken shook his head slowly. "I haven't. But I found something interesting that you might want to see before the preliminary."

Both left the vehicle and sauntered back towards the crime scene. Inuyasha saw that Jaken was just about finished with the body, with the body bag lying beside the John Doe. Jaken ran to it and kneeled by his face, pointing at the hole where the bullet entered the skull.

"I had my doubts at first, but now I'm almost sure. Do you see that?" Jaken asked. "See the burnt flesh around the bullet wound? This man had a gun pressed against his forehead. When the gun went off, the heat burnt the surrounding flesh."

Inuyasha closed his eyes. "This wasn't just a murder. This was a fucking execution."

"Again," Jaken commented. "Well said. Maybe your New Year's resolution should be to stop swearing so much."

Inuyasha grunted in response. "How long until I have the preliminary?"

"As soon as I can," Jaken promised. "I'll make this high priority."

Inuyasha nodded and stood up once more. "Anything else?"

"Not that I can see. I'm just going to bag and tag and then ship this body out of here," Jaken sighed. "Stupid vultures."

Inuyasha turned before Jaken could see the smirk on his features. Once outside the house, Inuyasha paused to take in his surroundings. The house was covered by forest, a gravel driveway the only thing separating the dense bush. The sun had long ago set and the overgrowth provided the area with more darkness than light. He couldn't see the stars or the moon, but he saw a dim light flashing on his SUV, so he knew it was somewhere. There was silence other than the rare piercing call of a vulture and he was almost positive that most of them were gone but one or two.

"Hell of a New Year's Eve," he said to no one in particular. He slowly strode towards his vehicle, contemplating all the calls he was going to have to make, and how he could possibly avoid most of them. Sometimes, being a federal agent wasn't all that amazing. Some of the people he had to deal with were so high up, that their noses were in the sky and their feet floating on clouds. They shouted "get this done" and "follow that lead" but really had lost all of their senses when it came to investigating.

Inuyasha personally belonged to the Criminal Investigation Division, and within it dealt with crimes of organization, drugs, white-collar fraud, et cetera. He was just recently sent his partner Shippo Watanabe to teach him everything he knew. Shippo was straight out of the 21 weeks in the Academy, and being on probation, was sent to a veteran FBI Special Agent to help him. So far, the kid had been nothing but a pest. Sure, he was smart, quick to catch on and intelligent. He was just new, that's all. Inuyasha had been at one point, though he was positive he had fared much better earlier on.

Pulling out his cell phone and checking the time, Inuyasha realized it was almost midnight; three minutes to go.

Inuyasha wouldn't admit it to anyone, but his cursing probably _was_ a bad habit. Countless dates, he was sure, most likely had stopped calling him for that reason, though they always came crawling back. He shook his head; his love life was of no importance right now, which is why Inuyasha knew that he hadn't been in love. He figured that when he found a woman that he would rather stay with than follow duty, he found the right one. So far, that hadn't happened.

He checked his phone again. One minute.

Silently, he counted down from there. It was New Year's Eve after all. Usually, he would be partying right now; downing drinks with friends and sharing memories that never really happened. But duty called, and he was the closest and best matched for this case.

The seconds ticked by and Inuyasha leaned against his vehicle. He looked around the sky and was startled to see fireworks not too far away, glistening in the darkness of the night.

"Happy fucking New Year's," Inuyasha whispered, then grimaced.

Yeah, that was definitely a New Year's resolution.

"Happy New Year's!" Kagome screamed, throwing her martini in the air and clinking the glass with a few others. She then took a long sip, ultimately finishing the glass.

"Want another?" Sango shouted near her ear, trying to be overheard by the loud talking and blared music.

"Yeah, but I want a drink-drink this time. Give me something with vodka," Kagome called back.

Sango flashed a smile and was soon eaten by the crowd.

Kagome looked around the packed room and sighed. Another year was over, and Kagome still wasn't sure what she had accomplished. News stories galore, people everywhere…but she hadn't _done_ anything. Call it cliché, but really, Kagome just wanted a bit more excitement. She wanted to be the one that was involved in the action, not reporting it after the fact.

"Hello there, beautiful," a masculine voice said, sweeping Kagome around to face him.

Kagome smiled and laughed. "Miroku! I've been looking all over for you. I've been here for almost an hour!"

"I know, I know," Miroku sighed, looking disturbed. "I was being tortured. People were pulling me every which way. And all the women…" Suddenly, he smiled. "Tons of women."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Oh, please Miroku," she said. "Get a grip."

Miroku sighed dreamily. "Yes, but none of these women will ever compare to your absolute beauty. You look stunning tonight."

"Thank you."

"No really, you look more than beautiful. That dress," Miroku pulled her back suddenly to look at it entirely, "is wow."

"I'm not sure if I'm glad that you approve or disturbed…"

"Kagome, where are you?"

Kagome and Miroku looked towards where the shout came from. A moment later they saw Sango emerge from the crowd of people holding two very large drinks. As she walked towards them, Miroku's hand fell from Kagome's waist.

"Hey Miroku! Amazing party, Happy New Year's!" Sango said cheerfully, giving Kagome her drink. "I made you a Green Monster. There's a lot of alcohol so be good," she said with a wink.

"I don't think _I _should be the one to worry about," Kagome said wryly, looking at Miroku.

His eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open. Kagome thought how the look suited the movies more than it did real life, but clearly this was not the case. His gorgeous baby blue eyes stared at Sango, probably never to look away. His mouth formed the perfect O.

"Are you okay?" Sango said, frowning. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Definitely…not a ghost," Miroku managed to say. Suddenly, his arm wrapped around Sango's slim waist and he kissed her on the cheek. "You look magnificent, my dear Sango."

Sango laughed uneasily, her cheeks burning red. "What about Kagome? She looks better, for sure."

Kagome raised a brow, knowing that her best friend was fishing for words. "I'll just leave you two alone." Kagome waved at the both of them and turned around, rolling her eyes. Sango was blind if she didn't think that Miroku liked her. It was so obvious, and Kagome was positive that Miroku had liked Sango since grade four. It was no lie.

Making her way through the crowd, Kagome strived to see if there were some other people she knew. A lot of people Kagome passed she vaguely recognized, some from the university she had graduated from and others from the workplace. She stopped to talk to a couple of them, asking them what they thought of the party and how long they were staying. Eventually, Kagome decided that enough was enough. She was starting to feel claustrophobic and went to the room that Miroku had set aside for them.

Miroku had left their key in the kitchen, and the two of them had picked it up when they arrived. Kagome entered the bedroom, careful to double-check that no one had managed to get inside, and walked in. Placing her drink on the dressing table, Kagome made her way to two double doors that were covered by sheer blinds. She opened them, and stepped onto a balcony that faced a hill full of small lit homes and streetlights. It wasn't quiet, since the music and voices still blared from around her, but it was much more peaceful than the crowd below.

"Two-thousand and nine," she whispered. "What a year." She wondered what would happen. Naraku's face flashed through her mind, and she shuddered despite the warm heat. Naraku's haunting message usually came to her a night, and woke her from sleep. She still didn't understand his intentions when he said them. Was he threatening her with death? Or was he just trying to scare her for media attention? Both ideas were possible and she wasn't sure if she should be worried or not.

"I guess I'll find out this year," she murmured. "Two-thousand and nine, what will you bring?"

Her question had been rhetorical, but she hadn't expected it to answer her so suddenly.

A scream ripped through the air.

"Isn't it a bit late, Ms. Ohta?" the secretary said, slightly hesitant. "It's already past midnight."

"Is it?"

"Yes Ms. Ohta. Happy New Year's." The secretary patted her skirt down, just as she had before she entered the door, and fidgeted with her glasses. "I was wondering if there was anything else I could do for you?"

"So you could go home?"

The secretary stammered, taken aback. "Well, no, you just hadn't called or asked for any–"

"Save it. Just go home."

"I didn't mean it like that Ms. Ohta–"

"Go. Home."

The secretary left immediately, flustered. Behind her, Ms. Kaguya Ohta sighed impatiently. "Stupid bitch."

She finished reading the papers on the large oak desk before her. The words hardly made sense but it looked about right. Kaguya was no marketer but the plan that was laid out before her seemed both expensive and flashy.

It was perfect.

She took a few notes on her pad, her lengthy inked script sprawled across the page. She attached it to the marketing plan that she had just finished reading and placed it on top of a pile of other papers. There was so much to do and so little time.

At least the damn secretary was gone. She had to tell her assistant to start looking for a new one.

With her mind made up, she pressed two buttons on her phone and waited as she listened to the dial tone.

"Kaguya, you honour me. What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Ryukotsusei. I have a question and an order."

"Tell me," Ryukotsusei Inoue said eagerly, having been at her service for a few years now. Kaguya was the owner of a large multi-billion dollar company that dealt with weapons trade. The company had grown exponentially since Kaguya had taken over and only Ryukotsusei, her only confident, knew why.

"First, I want you to start looking for a new secretary to hire."

"A new one?" Ryukotsusei asked, chuckling. "I just hired her less than a month ago."

"If she can't deal with the hours, she won't get any hours at all," Kaguya snorted. "It's only New Year's for God's sake."

"Touché," Ryukotsusei answered. "Alright I'll look into a new secretary. Any preferences?"

"Maybe a male," she said thoughtfully. "The women try so hard to outdo me and be my best friend."

"A battle they already lost."

"Exactly. Maybe a male will fare better."

"For my sake, I hope so," Ryukotsusei laughed.

"And now for the important part."

"Yes," he said, sobering. "What do you need?"

"It's not what I need," she answered. "I want to know if everything's been taken care of."

Ryukotsusei's deep voice chuckled. "Of course, everything was taken care of. The paperwork, everything. There should be no link from us to Naraku of any sort."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. I've had an accountant double-check all of the accounts to make sure nothing seemed suspicious. Everything is explained and called for. He was fairly costly but it was worth it. He managed to find a few errors."

"And he's going to keep quiet?"

"Or his family is dead. I assure you, it's all taken care of."

"And what of the other matter?"

"The exactly same thing: all taken care of Kaguya."

"What would I do without you darling?"

"You'd probably be in the same position, ruling over us all."

Kaguya smiled. "You're the only person who says that without remorse."

"I respect those that are above me," he said simply.

"And that's why I've kept you. You're a good friend, and worker, Ryukotsusei."

"It's an honour," he repeated. "Is there anything else?"

"No, that'll be all Ryukotsusei."

"Happy New Year's."

She smirked. "Yes. You too."

When Ryukotsusei was off the line, Kaguya sighed and leaned back in her large leather chair. She thought of everything she had to accomplish and what she had so far. There was just so much to do and a new year meant nothing to her. That's exactly what she didn't need: another year to have more problems and deal with more assholes. It happened every year and every year, she repeated the same thing.

She got rich quick and made a few extra bucks on the side.

_Demon X_ had been a quick, easy way to make that extra money. Smuggling the drug with the weapons she shipped made everything much more expensive for her clients, who were more than happy to pay so that they could curb their addiction. If Naraku had done anything right in the short years that he had been alive, it had been making _Demon X_ so addictive and expensive.

She had never tried the drug herself mind you. She had sought it out, bought it and tested on a few of her employees. She had fired all of them afterwards for drug use. She couldn't let druggies work at her prestigious company –but she had paid them off quite well. They could buy enough _Demon X_ for a year.

Chances were they were already dead.

She shrugged at the thought, not at all bothered. People died all the time and just because she sped up the time line didn't really affect her.

But it had Ryukotsusei –his only fault. Ryukotsusei was a ruthless bastard. He was smart and cunning and he was more than amazing with handling the business. He understood why she made the choices she made without questioning her. However, he questioned her authority whenever the life of another was at play. Human torture seemed to bother him slightly, which could be a potential problem.

Kaguya used people and wasn't at all bothered by sacrificing their lives to make her own better. It was the bottom line of business –of life! Eat or be eaten, wasn't it? Well, Kaguya intended on the being the biggest fish in the entire ocean.

Her next plan was to suffer with all the investigations made by the FBI. They were looking into her company fiercely, mainly because she had given Naraku Morikawa weapons from time to time. But all of the transactions had been regulated and legal, so they had nothing on her or the company.

The accountant was just to double-check if there had been any discretions that she might not have been able to explain. It was always better to be safe than sorry. The only thing Kagura worried about was the feds. They were always so nosy about everything. She just had to sort through everything first, and make it out alive.

After the feds were gone, Kaguya would continue with her under-the-table dealing and keep making that extra million or so dollars for her company. If the FBI couldn't discover her secrets now, they never would.

She just had to make a call.

After dialling, Kaguya listened to the consistent ring of the phone. She waited and waited, but ended up with just an answering service.

"This is Kaguya," she said to the answering service, leaving a message. "Please call me back regarding the order I gave for you to finish through. We'll discuss your last issuing payment then, as well as another option… If you're interested."

Kaguya hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair once again. Good thing Ryukotsusei wasn't aware of her little secret. He would definitely have something to say. It was about using people for her benefit.

And Ryukotsusei would just have to suffer with it.

Literally.

He wasn't going to last too long, especially after he discovered her dirty little secret.

* * *

**Please Review! I'll update sooner!**


	3. Chapter 3

**The chapter everyone's been waiting for. Kind of.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Three_

* * *

The scream left Kagome frozen.

She stood there, poised on the balcony listening to the crowd below. The music had abruptly stopped. The blaring noise of the party below dimmed. Something was terribly wrong.

Another scream. Louder, more shocked. And then another, and another.

Men were shouting, issuing orders though Kagome couldn't understand what was being said. Suddenly, the noise got even quieter, more so than Kagome thought was possible at a party.

Kagome ran back into her bedroom, rushing out of the door and down the stairs. Crowds of people shook their heads, talking in low voices. Very few knew what was going on and those that did were probably too drunk to comprehend. Kagome rushed into the kitchen, looking for either Miroku or Sango. When she got there, she heard Sango's voice, high in panic.

"Sango!" Kagome cried, forcing her way through mounds of people. "What's going on?"

Sango shook her head, her magenta eyes wide. "I don't know Kagome. I think someone's hurt or sick or…something really bad."

"Let's find Miroku," Kagome said, grabbing Sango's hand and pulling her along through the crowd.

They rushed towards what was the loudest part of the house. People were shouting, obviously freaked at something. Kagome and Sango worked together to get closer, pushing onlookers aside to get to the scene. When they got there, Miroku was in the middle of it, holding a girl close to him.

"Call 911!" Miroku screamed. "She's foaming at the mouth. I need everybody out, now!"

Neither Kagome nor Sango had ever heard Miroku so fierce. Sango pulled out her cell phone to call 911 and others around forced onlookers away. Kagome ran towards where Miroku and the girl sat.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked, trying to get a good look at the girl whose face was buried in Miroku's chest. Miroku grimaced and pulled the girl away from him. Instantly, Kagome froze. There. Right there were all the symptoms of a dying victim of _Demon X_.

The girl's eyes were so dilated that Kagome couldn't see anything between the black of her retina and the white of the surrounding ball. Her mouth was closed, but white foam oozed out of the sides and down her chin. Her body shook like she was trapped inside a boiling kettle, ready to explode. None of this was right; none of this looked like it was going to end well.

"She's dying," Miroku whispered. "Her pulse is so slow, but she's still breathing."

"Keep a hold of her pulse," Kagome ordered. "Let's lay her down. We need to be prepared for CPR. If she stops breathing though, there's nothing we can do."

Miroku's violet eyes turned to her. "Why not?"

"You can't do mouth-to-mouth rescue," Kagome said slowly, never taking her eyes off of the dying girl. "The _Demon X_ is still in her mouth, in her system. The pill dissolves instantly once it touches your tongue, that's why it's so effective. The results are immediate. If you rescue breathe, the drug will go into your system too."

"It's almost like it's alive," Miroku whispered.

Kagome agreed, "Pretty damn close."

Suddenly, Kagome's cell phone went off. She checked the caller ID and sighed. She answered the phone, anger seeping through her. "What Myoga?"

"I'm sorry, I know you're partying and having fun, but there's huge news! A girl has overdosed on _Demon X _at 1560 Weste, can you be there with Sango to cover the story? This is your thing, your story. I wanted you to have first pick."

Kagome stared at the dying girl, watching Miroku's features as he realized that her pulse was going, dying, fading away… It was only a matter of time. Even if EMS showed up, it would be too late for her. "No Myoga," she said. "This isn't my story. Get someone else to do it."

"But Kagome–" Myoga started to argue but Kagome hung up on him. Suddenly, her career didn't matter. All that mattered was the dying girl before her.

"What's her name? Do you know her?" Kagome asked.

Miroku shook his head and looked up as he saw Sango approach with the police and EMS workers. They swarmed the body, pushing Kagome and Miroku aside. The three of them watched in horror as the medical workers worked feebly on the body, with no results. The girl was rushed into the ambulance and the last that was heard were the orders being shouted by the medical workers. Silence covered the scene as the ambulance left and Miroku, Sango and Kagome looked around the room. There were only a few people left and the majority of those people were the sober ones trying to gather their drunken friends.

"What a party," Miroku scoffed, shaking his head. "I am definitely sober."

Kagome sighed, realizing that she was too. After an incident like that, the effect of alcohol seemed to fade away into the back of her mind. Except for the sickness, since Kagome felt sicker than ever.

"Are you okay?" Miroku suddenly asked, and Kagome turned to see Sango, holding her stomach.

"Maybe not," Sango managed out, wincing.

"I'll take care of her," Kagome said, taking Sango's hand. "We'll go back to the room. Can you handle things down here? The cops are still outside."

Miroku nodded. "Yeah, most of the people are gone are I'll just take care of the ones that aren't. The cops… I'll manage."

Miroku kissed both Sango and Kagome on the cheeks and then left the girls to relax upstairs. Kagome put Sango in one of the two double beds and went to the bedroom to get her a bucket and cold cloth.

"Kagome, I'm fine," Sango called out. "Don't even worry about me."

Kagome sighed and walked back to Sango's bed, bucket and cloth in hand. "I know, but we had to sober up pretty damn fast. This is just in case, for either of us."

Sango closed her eyes and smiled. "It was still a good New Year's, until _that _happened. She was high on _Demon X_ right? I never really saw her until the EMS came."

"Yeah, she was. She had all the symptoms. It didn't look to good for her."

"I hope Miroku's okay," Sango whispered. She pulled the covers up to her chin. Kagome was now in her own bed wearing a pair of boxers Miroku never wore and a t-shirt he had left for her. She switched off the bedside lamp and watched as the room was engulfed in darkness.

"I'm sure he is," Kagome whispered back. "Do you think I should go down and check? It's probably a good idea."

She sat up but Sango interrupted her, getting up herself. "You're already changed. I'll go down and make sure everything's fine."

Kagome watched her friend and yawned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Positive, I'll be back in a minute."

Kagome nodded, but the alcohol in her system was making it hard to stay awake. Her body was relaxed and the bed was so comfortable…

Kagome slipped into a dreamless sleep immediately, forgetting everything about _Demon X_ and not noticing Sango's lack of return.

* * *

The morning light stirred Kagome out of her sleep, leaving a heavy feeling cast over her. Struggling under the sheets, Kagome turned to face the other bed, blinking hazily as she realized that Sango wasn't there.

Kagome groaned, rolling back onto her back. She stretched and sighed, wishing she could go back to sleep. She didn't know what time it was but regardless, Kagome felt like she hadn't slept at all.

"I hate mornings," she groaned, rolling around until she felt comfortable. The position she ended up in was far from comfortable, and Kagome rolled out of bed and onto the floor. For a long moment, Kagome laid there, extremely unhappy. Sango had always made fun of her for her grumpy and irritated mood every morning, which usually passed after she finished washing her face and brushing her teeth.

Kagome slowly got up and did exactly that, taking her time to remove all the makeup and dirt from the night before. She still felt gross, and decided to have a shower, letting the boiling water pour over her. She scrubbed herself until she was red and clean and finally turned off the water and stepped out.

Kagome could hear Sango humming in the bedroom and threw back on Miroku's t-shirt and boxers. She towel-dried her hair, running her fingers through the wetness until almost all the knots were out, and walked out into the bedroom. Sango was standing at the bed, pulling up the sheets to make the bed properly. She, too, was wearing one of Miroku's ratty t-shirts and a pair of boxers. It was probably the pair Miroku had left for her.

"Afternoon," Sango said with a wink. "How are you?"

"It's afternoon?" Kagome asked, grimacing. She had been hoping that it was still morning.

Sango laughed. "It's almost one. Come on, Miroku's cooking breakfast downstairs."

"Did everything work out yesterday?"

Sango shrugged. "Miroku seemed to take care of all the legal stuff. He didn't even know that any drugs were going on. Apparently, Miroku kicked out a lot of people when he caught stuff like that. All the people that were driving and drunk stayed over and left early this morning. Most people had designated drivers though."

"It would be hard for the people to pin anything on Miroku, especially at a New Year's party this large," Kagome agreed.

Sango nodded and continued to clean the bedroom up. Kagome waited for her against the door. She didn't want to ask the question that formed in her mind, but knew that she had too. "And the girl?"

"Still in critical condition. The doctors are going to call and update us as frequently as possible. Miroku made sure he put his name in at the hospital."

Again, silence surrounded the too. Sango was just finishing the bed and Kagome watched her without speaking. It wasn't until Sango was folding her dress when she spoke.

"Oh, and we were going to go to the gym later," she added, looking over her shoulder towards Kagome. "Miroku's not supposed to be working but I really want to work off last night's alcohol. Miroku thought it was a great idea, as long as we don't do anything crazy."

"Is his gym even open?" Kagome asked, glad for the break in silence.

"From ten to five," Sango replied. "It follows holiday hours and he says it's profitable for him because a lot of people are doing the exact same thing as we are."

"We'll have to go back to our houses to change and everything."

"I'll wait for you. You have to eat breakfast anyways. You can eat, I'll help Miroku clean up and then I'll drive you back home. We're all planning on going at three, so that will give you time to finish everything."

The next few hours were fairly tedious. Kagome finished eating, all the while joking with Miroku about events from the previous night. All three of them avoided the thought of the overdosed girl. After Kagome was driven home to get ready, she checked her phone for messages, her computer for emails and her television for news. It was almost two-thirty when Kagome decided to leave, opting to walk instead of drive. The weather was slightly chilly, but nothing compared to other places in the world. The news channel she had been watching commented on the inches of snow Canada got, and she thanked God she lived in a place with a warmer climate.

The gym was only a ten minutes drive, just about the length of time it took to get to Miroku's house. Walking, Kagome knew it would only take thirty-minutes at a leisurely pace. The walk to the gym had been calming and cleared her head that was still a bit fogged from the night before. When she got there, Sango and Miroku were already inside.

"Hey!" Sango said between ragged breaths. She was running on the treadmill with Miroku running beside her. "You're late!"

Kagome raised her brow. "Two minutes late. Come on, give me a break."

Miroku winked. "She's just upset because…she's already tired…and out of breath…and she's only run for…five minutes."

Sango hit Miroku in the shoulder, as out of breath as he suggested because she didn't say a word. Her look said it all, however.

"That's not to say…you've lost…your ability," Miroku said in defence.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome laughed. "I'm going to do weights first and run later. It's supposed to be better," she commented, waving at the two who weren't listening to her at all and still hitting each other.

Dragging her bag to the lockers, Kagome shoved her stuff in one, paid the dollar and started to stretch. It wasn't long before Kagome was on the leg press, working her quads (which, to be honest, hadn't been worked in a while). She did three sets, twelve reps, and by the end of it, Kagome wished she kept up at the gym more often.

She did quite a few exercises before she decided that running was probably the best way to end the hour. However, a funny thing happened when she passed the bench press. Kagome noticed that there were a _lot_ of weights on it. The bar was a standard fifty pounds, and added to it was an additional hundred.

"Shit," Kagome whispered, looking around and wondering who the hell it was that benched _that_.

A sudden, and admittedly stupid, idea came upon her. Kagome decided to attempt to bench the weight. Yes, that's why it's a stupid decision. In her defence, she thought it wouldn't have budged.

Lying down on the bench, Kagome took a few deep breaths as she grasped the cool metal bar. She tested with a few light-hearted attempts to lift it, testing how much energy she would need. After a few moments, Kagome took a deep breath and lifted.

Miraculously, the bar lifted. However, the problem with that little miracle is that when Kagome actually managed to lift the bar off of the holder, she shifted it forwards to better hold the weight. Therefore, when Kagome had to lower her arms, the bar wouldn't go back on its holder.

It would go on her throat.

Kagome screamed, unable to hold the bar but knowing that she couldn't lower it.

Kagome gasped out incoherent words, her arms shaking violently.

_Bad idea. Bad idea. Very bad, bad, bad idea._

"What the hell?" a male voice cursed, close to Kagome. Suddenly, the weight was lifted off of her arms and she heard the clack of the metal landing in its holder.

Kagome sat up instantly, looking down at her hanging arms that were still shaking. She couldn't believe that she had been so stupid. It must have been the aftershock of last night's drinking. Kagome shook her head and took a few more deep breaths, only this time to calm herself.

"Hey!"

Kagome turned around, swinging her body sideways on the bench. When her eyes landed on the male that spoke, she almost passed out due to lack of oxygen.

He was beautiful, simply beautiful. He was probably the most handsome, sexy man that she had ever seen, which was probably why she forgot to keep breathing. The first thing she noticed was his golden eyes, so hard and fixated on her. They seemed to penetrate through her own, automatically understanding who she was and why she was that way. It was unnerving. Next, she noticed his silver hair, damp with sweat like his glistening toned, topless body.

Kagome groaned inwardly. Of all the men in this world to see her at her worst moment, it had to be this one. Of course.

Congratulations universe, you had your damn laugh.

"Hey wench, do you talk at all?"

Well, he was good to look at, as long as he didn't open his mouth.

"Yeah, I do actually."

The guy looked at her, as if she was going to say more.

She didn't.

"Are you stupid?" he asked lightly. "I mean, I'm sorry, but I seriously doubt you can lift one-hundred and fifty pounds."

"Technically, I lifted it," Kagome defended herself.

"Technically, I had to lift it _off_ of you so you didn't die."

"Yes, thank you."

Kagome stared at the male relentlessly, not backing down from his own harsh glare. A few times, she caught herself wanting to look down over his well-toned body and extremely hot six-pack. No, she told herself. Bad. This guy was obviously a jerk. The way he glared at her said it all.

"Feh," the male muttered under his breath. "Ungrateful wench." He started to turn his back to walk away when Kagome stood up from the bench and poked him square in the back.

He stopped and turned to look at her, his face tilted down because she was almost a foot shorter than him. "What the fuck do you want?"

"What the fuck do I want?" Kagome repeated, astonished. This asshole had some nerve calling her a wench and yelling at her crudely. "Excuse me, but _you_ called me an 'ungrateful wench' to which I argue that I'm _not_ because I thanked you already. Or does your tiny little brain only remember very short periods of time…like five seconds?"

"You _are_ an ungrateful wench because you don't even realize that what you did was extremely dangerous and that I basically saved your life," the guy shot back, his amber eyes intense on hers. "You don't seem to understand that."

"Understand what? That you're an asshole? I fully understand that what I did wasn't exactly the brightest idea. I thanked you for helping me, or saving me. Whatever. What? Do you want me to apologize _again_?"

"What, for my wasted time?" The guy looked frustrated, as if there was another reason for him to be angry and it wasn't her. "Yeah, that would be nice."

"Fuck you," Kagome spat. "Why don't you just let me die next time? It would be my own fault anyways."

Suddenly, his eyes softened, as if he remembered something. Kagome had the strange feeling that he wasn't mad at her, but at the world. Something was troubling him and she didn't know what. He opened his mouth to say something but Miroku and Sango came running towards them.

"What's this all about?" Miroku demanded, looking sharply at the customer before quickly glancing at Kagome. "You're disturbing others in the gym."

"This _jerk_," Kagome said instantly, forgetting her previous thoughts, "is screaming at me because he helped me."

"You tried lifting a fucking one-hundred and fifty pound weight on the bench press, you wench. Don't even try to put this on me!" the guy argued. He looked at Miroku. "She shouldn't have even looked at that weight, never mind try to bench it."

Miroku shifted his baby blue eyes towards Kagome. "Please tell me you didn't attempt it, Kagome, or I'll kill you."

Kagome grinned sheepishly, not really knowing what to say.

"Kagome!" Miroku exclaimed. "Why would that even come into your mind to try and lift that? That's insane! _You're _insane!"

"Excuse me but that's not the point! The point is that he's being rude to me. He helped lift the weight off of me and then started yelling at me!" Kagome argued, frowning. She felt like a two-year old, fussing about name calling.

Sango slapped Miroku in the back of the head. "Yeah Miroku! He's being a total dick. Can't you see that? Just look at him!"

"You don't even know anything!" the guy interrupted, clearly angry. "You're only siding with her because she's probably your friend."

"_Best_ friend," Sango shot at him.

"Whatever! This is ridiculous," Miroku exclaimed, exasperated. "Can we just end this, please? My clients are unhappy because you _both_ are distracting them. End this, now."

"Fine," Kagome said, staring the man straight in the eye. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you, for your wasted time and for the fact you saved my life."

For a long moment, the guy just stared at her. He suddenly frowned, looking her up and down several times before making some sort of conclusion in his head. "You look…really familiar."

Kagome cried in frustration. "Say that you're sorry, dammit! It shouldn't be that hard!"

"Oh fuck, wench," the guy said calmly, rolling his eyes. "I'm sorry for…feh…"

"Feh? Is that even a word?" Kagome pointed out. "And you're still calling me wench, which is the _reason_ this started in the first place. You can't just apologize for something but still do it."

"_I_," he said, emphasizing the word, "can do whatever I want."

"Go to hell," Kagome shot back.

"Already there, wench. Already there," he said sweetly. He looked towards Miroku and then around at the gym. "Look, I'm sorry for disturbing the others. My workout's over anyways, so I'll be back tomorrow." He slid a sideways glance at Kagome. "As long as she's not here," he added.

"She won't be," Miroku confirmed, giving Kagome a stern look.

Kagome sighed. "I won't."

The guy smirked almost, she noted, watching the corners of his mouth twitch. "Good thing."

"Whatever," Kagome mumbled, looking at the floor irritated.

"You know, that was probably one of the dumbest things I have ever witnessed a living person do."

Kagome lifted her head, trying to read his odd expression. "Well I'm happy to have given you that _lovely_ experience. I'm so sorry that you had to save me," she bit.

Again, Kagome was startled. She watched as his eyes glazed over, realization in them after her sarcastic words. His secret was buried in there, haunting him. "Don't be," he whispered, almost tenderly. "I'm not sorry that I saved you. That's my job."

He turned and left for the locker room. Kagome watched him, irritated at herself for feeling the emotions that she did – that burning desire mixed with confusion. What did he mean 'that's my job'? Was he some sort of cop?

Miroku forced Kagome to the back, so she never saw her saviour again.

* * *

**Please Review! I'll try to update faster.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Another chappie. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Four_

* * *

"I hate these days," Sango murmured, her head against the steering wheel. They were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Kagome made a sound similar to Sango's groan. She hated these days too but work was work and that's all there was to it. Myoga had been extremely unhappy with her stunt the night of the party, so as their punishment they were forced to do a story on a doggy fashion show.

Yes. A dog _fashion_ show.

Nothing was happening with the _Demon X_ story anyways. So there Kagome and Sango sat, stuck in their news van after a few painful hours of dogs barking and people sighing in puppy fashion bliss.

Needless to say, it hadn't been a fun day.

"How mad was Miroku at me yesterday?" Kagome asked suddenly, her chocolate eyes straying towards Sango. She was going back to the time when she and that _asshole_ fought, pretty much ruining Miroku's mood and her weight training ethic. Miroku hadn't seemed mad, but he wasn't the usual jolly self that he normally was.

Taken aback, Sango merely shrugged. "He wasn't. Just confused, I think. You never get on anyone's nerves like that. He just went on working out. Recently, he felt that he should better look the part as a gym owner."

Kagome laughed and looked back out the window.

"Why _did_ you lift that weight? Seriously, what went through your mind?" Sango asked, laughing. "You never do stunts like that."

Blushing, Kagome bit her lip. "I don't know… I hadn't thought I could even lift it to be honest. I thought I would just push against the impossible, you know? But I did and… It all went downhill from there."

"Until Mr. Sexy came along."

Sango's last statement made Kagome whip her head around so fast, she almost got whiplash. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on Kagome," Sango teased. "You can't tell me you weren't drooling when you weren't arguing with him."

"We pretty much argued the entire time."

Sango raised a brow at her.

"Okay. So he was cute."

Sango raised both brows.

Kagome threw her hands up in the air. "Shouldn't you be driving?"

Sango turned her head to face the traffic and took her foot off of the brake lightly. She let the van roll for a good three seconds before applying the brake fully again. Traffic was at a dead stop so the most they could move was a foot or two anyways. When she was sure the car had stopped, she turned back to Kagome. "You were saying?"

Kagome crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. But she knew when Sango wasn't going to let her get away with something and this was a prime example of the inevitable. "Okay. So he was drop-dead gorgeous. Sexy. Raw."

"Ooh," Sango cooed. "_Raw_. Primitive." For a moment, there was silence. "HEY! You wanted him right then and there, didn't you?!" she announced.

Kagome's face was red and her throat was tight with embarrassment. "No!" she denied. However, she denied it just a little too quickly, and Sango took that moment to leap.

"Yes you did! You said _raw_. You wanted him _bad_."

"Sango, I'm going to kill you. Shut up."

She laughed. "Fine. But you just wait."

"Until what?" Kagome asked, her eyes firm. "What are you planning?"

"Nothing," Sango chimed in a singsong voice.

As the traffic started to clear and the van was able to move, the car ride continued to be silent.

Until they got off of the highway.

"Yet," Sango finished, grinning from ear to ear.

* * *

Inuyasha parked his Dodge Nitro in the parking lot. The afternoon sun was high in the sky, making the cooler day slightly warmer. He wore a shirt and jeans, and his dark vintage Ray-Ban sunglasses. The building he walked towards was a plain brown, in need of painting and better janitorial services. As he entered, a blast of cool air conditioning sprayed his silver hair and he continued to walk to the far end of the hall, opening the far door.

"I've been expecting you," Jaken Nagashima said, his bug eyes staring at him. "Though I thought you'd be timelier than two in the afternoon."

"I've been busy," came Inuyasha's retort. He'd been up late, trying to deal with all the paperwork, case files and information that came with every murder. He had been bogged down that night in his dinky hotel room for hours until he decided he needed to work off some steam. And that's when he went to the gym. And that's when he met that damn wench.

Jaken shook his head but made his way to a metal table with a blanket covering a large bulky figure. Removing the blanket to the waist, Jaken looked at Inuyasha.

"John Doe had a painful death, I'm afraid."

"How?" Inuyasha asked, standing beside the metal table.

Pointing to a small hole in his chest, Jaken started his preliminary. "This, from what I've concluded, is from a needle. Most likely a tranquilizer dart, due to the size."

"So he was attacked with a needle?" Inuyasha asked. "What was inside of it?"

"Ah ha!" Jaken shouted, smiling a wicked grin. "That is where it gets scary." Jaken, already dressed in gear, began to probe at the centre of the dead man's chest, where a thick dark line resided. Slowly, he pried the skin folds apart, revealing the inner workings. The ribs at the sides were already broken, clamped off by Jaken's tools. With no ribs to cover, the organs of the deceased were laid out to him, causing Inuyasha to wince.

As it was hardly his first investigation, he was reasonably okay with seeing dead people. Even dead people torn apart by morticians never gave him any sort of reason to flinch. But the sight of organs that were obviously unattached and ribs that were no longer there, seemed to nag at him.

Holding one flap of skin from the chest, Jaken pointed to a white spot. It stood out like a neon sign. The dark, dead, tissue of skin was pale, while the spot was as white as fallen snow.

"This shouldn't be hard for you to understand," Jaken said simply, folding the skin back to its proper place. "Drugs."

Inuyasha nodded, compiling a list in his head of the possible drugs that were injected.

"But this, Special Agent Taisho, is what I found terrifying." Jaken walked over to a metal table not far from the body, where several organs that had been missing from John Doe's chest lay. Pulling out a large fist-sized organ from a container, the mortician beckoned Inuyasha closer.

"What do you see?" Jaken asked.

"A heart," Inuyasha replied slowly, staring at the morbid image. "But Jaken, what the _fuck_ is wrong with it?"

Jaken shrugged. "At first, I was unsure of what to conclude. The muscle surrounding it resembles that of dead tissue. The colour is correct, the way it folds… But the arteries! Dear god, have I never seen something so erroneous!"

"They're white," Inuyasha added, stepping even closer to observe the heart. "Every damn artery is white."

"Like crystals," Jaken added, nodding. "Usually they tinge to a darker colour, to which I would've concluded a heart attack, caused by drug overdose. However, due to the strange circumstances I've asked for a few tests to be run. I've sent the blood and stomach contents to be screened for drugs."

Inuyasha nodded. "Good. And what about details on our John Doe?"

"Ah yes. Our John Doe here is a very powerful man. Late thirties, five-foot-eleven with black hair and brown eyes. Demon obviously, since his heart is half the size larger than a human's heart."

"And we still have no ID." Inuyasha cursed. "Did you order for the blood to be run through CODIS?"

Jaken laughed.

Sighing, Inuyasha shook his head. He knew you had to be a little different to work with dead people all the time, but Jaken pushed it to a whole new level. "Anything else?"

"Residue found at the insert, which I've sent in for examination as well."

"Thanks Jaken," Inuyasha said curtly. "I'll be back."

"You always are," Jaken murmured.

As Inuyasha walked away, he could distinctly hear Jaken's voice. Most likely, the old quack was talking to John Doe. His shrill laugh echoed through the halls, and walking a little faster, Inuyasha escaped the building.

Just as he jumped into his truck, his cell phone went off.

"Taisho," Inuyasha asked, already knowing the twit that was calling.

"_Forensics just finished with the crime scene_," Shippo Watanabe said through the phone. "_They've left but when I asked, they more or less told me that they had nothing to go on_."

"Lovely," Inuyasha bit, sarcasm dripping. "Well I just finished with Jaken and the preliminary. There're drugs involved, for sure."

"_Any in mind_?" Shippo asked.

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied. "Jaken sent the fluid in to TOX but I'm almost positive of what's involved."

"_And_?"

Inuyasha didn't need probing. "The one and only _Demon X_. The only drug that's still so new, no one understands its affects on the body."

Shippo was silent for a moment before cursing. "_So what's next_?"

"Where are you?" Inuyasha countered.

"_Almost_ _back at the hotel. Is there anything you want me to pick up or do_?"

"No, that's perfect," Inuyasha said. "I want you to make some phone calls. Find someone that knows all about the drug. I don't care if it's a doctor, a journalist or a fucking user. Just get me help."

"_Gotcha_," Shippo answered. "_I'll call you back_."

Inuyasha shut the phone and sighed. "No info on _Demon X_, no solved case."

Throwing the phone into the cup holder, Inuyasha started the engine and took off.

* * *

The room was eerily quiet – dead quiet, even. As the killer walked in, she felt the instant chill in the air, and it didn't come from an air conditioner. It was cool in Coral, Florida, which meant the furnace, not the AC.

She approached the desk quietly, not wanting to disturb the silence. She could see her boss sitting in the chair, looking over papers.

"She needs to be dead," the dark voice said blatantly, startling the visitor. "Not-breathing dead. Do I make myself clear?"

"Of course," the hitwoman answered, watching her boss carefully. Her boss had been known to make calculating decisions at split moments. She had killed many for the paycheque this person gave her, and most of the those that she had killed were loyal friends of the boss. "But to kill her now, just after I killed that low-life wouldn't make sense. That's far too close together. It will be pieced together."

"That's of no matter," the boss interjected, dark eyes glaring.

"It is," the hitwoman stressed, "since they found the body."

The boss slammed tight fists into the oak desk. "Goddammit. How did they find him? I thought you were careful."

"I always am. Vultures were circling overhead, according to the news. It was nature, not my lack of skill that did you wrong."

"Was the story done by that bitch?"

The hitwoman shook her head. "No, someone else. Last I saw, she was reporting on a dog fashion show."

The boss laughed. "You're kidding?"

The other just shook her head.

"Fine. Give it two days. I want her dead though, is that clear?"

Smiling, the hitwoman stood up. "Crystal," she uttered and then left the room, placing her black bug-eyed sunglasses on.

* * *

"Kagome," Ayame's high-pitched voice filled the room.

Turning to look at her friend and co-worker, Kagome smiled. "What's up?"

"Um, Myoga said that line four is for you," she replied, smiling back.

"Thanks." Kagome waved at the girl before pressing the button and picking up the phone. "Hello?"

"_Kagome Higurashi_?" a male voice asked.

"Yes, that's me."

"_Hi, my name is Shippo Watanabe. I'm with the FBI. I just wanted to clarify a few things first, are you the only reporter working the Morikawa/_Demon X_ case_?"

Kagome frowned and doodled on the blank piece of paper before her. "Yes, I am. It was assigned to me and my partner Sango Houko, working the camera."

"_How much do you know about _Demon X?" Shippo asked, jumping straight to the next question.

"More than the average person, that's for sure. I've seen _Demon X_ in action," Kagome replied, thinking back to the night of the party. "It's terrifying."

"_My partner and I were wondering if we could talk to you about the drug, since you seem to be a sort of expert_."

"I'm hardly an expert," Kagome retorted, shaking her head. "There must be scientists and–"

"_We've already dealt with them. The only information they've been giving us are the chemical effects of the drug and how it most likely works. But we need to know sources, possible leads…_"

"Alright, well since this is obviously important if the feds are concerned then I'll do whatever I can. I'm not sure how much I can help you though." Kagome wondered why her, of all people. Sure, she was investigating the story, but she was hardly and expert or a strong source. And what happened that they needed this information anyways?

"_Anything will be helpful. When are you available to talk for a few hours_?" the FBI agent asked.

"Tomorrow? I have to do some shooting in the morning, but afterwards, say around three?"

"_That will be fine. I'm looking forward to meeting you Ms. Higurashi_."

"Likewise," Kagome said. She later gave him her cell number, so he could contact her about a place to meet. The call ended slowly, but Kagome didn't mind. She wondered what the feds were up to, and why they were calling her of all people.

"It doesn't make sense," Kagome murmured, shaking her head to herself. For a long while, she just sat there, staring at the doodles on the once blank piece of paper. It was then that she decided what she needed to do. Bringing her computer to life, Kagome put a search out for information on _Demon X_. If she was going to meet these federal agents, and be any sort of help, she wanted to know everything that she could.

_They probably already looked at the Internet_, she thought to herself but continued anyways. The computers at RCN were decent enough that she didn't have to wait too long for the pages to load. Every link that came up was fairly useless though, since it was all information that she knew.

So she knew everything that she could about the drug… Kagome searched her mind for more resources, more escape hatches. It was her job to figure these sorts of things out. It was why she was a reporter in the first place. She sought and destroyed rumours, brought to life witnesses and their stories–

Suddenly it came to her. Into her web browser, she typed in 'Brotherhood Mafia' and waited for it to load. Several links appeared on the page and she looked at every single one of them, reading every bit of information that she could obtain. The Brotherhood Mafia was a family of demons. Just how many demons there were was still to be known, but the guess was between five to ten males. They were famous for execution style slaughters, where they would torture their victims and then shoot them with a signature move. The police would not comment, apparently, on what that signature was, but there was a leak stating that it was a bullet wound to the forehead, with a burn around the edges.

Holding the gun to the forehead before shooting… Kagome shuddered and typed in a new idea. Within seconds, links about the Panthers gang appeared, although the amount of significant information was much less than that of the Brotherhood. It was just basic information about the group. The group was a mixture of males and females, primarily in their late teens, early twenties who dealt drugs and weapons. There were three females and one male.

Finally, Kagome looked through online newspaper articles to figure out if there had been any murders or deaths relating to the drug. Nothing came up that seemed at all FBI-worthy. She tapped her pen on her desk impatiently, trying to think of where to look at next. She continued to search through articles, trying to find recent ones until one stood out from the rest.

On December 30th, 2008, a murder occurred, taking the life of one male who was left without ID. He had been living alone in the middle of nowhere and the only reason his body was found was because of a kettle of vultures circling overhead. The FBI refused to comment on the body.

The FBI? For a random murder, the FBI would never become involved. They only worked cases like terrorism, counterintelligence, cyber crimes, public corruption, civil rights, organized, white-collar and violent crimes. What the murder really that brutal?

A knock startled Kagome, forcing her to exit out of the immediate screen.

"Kagome?" Sango asked, peeking around the corner. "What's up? You jumped a mile high, I swear." Her voice sounded sincerely worried and her dark purple eyes blinked innocently.

"Oh, sorry," Kagome apologized, trying to fork up a smile. "I was just doing some research on our story."

"I'm hoping you're talking about Naraku's trial and not the dog show," Sango muttered dryly.

Kagome had to laugh. "No, Naraku's trial," she answered. "And _Demon X_."

"Speaking of which, Miroku just called me," Sango said soberly. "That girl at the party… Her heart gave out. She's gone."

Shaking her head, Kagome stared at the desktop background on her computer. "It's so tragic, isn't it?"

"Extremely. The police called Miroku again, wondering if he had heard anything about how she got the drugs. He hasn't."

"What was her name?" Kagome asked.

Sango shrugged. "Miroku never told me, but he does know. He invited us out for coffee, and I think he needs it."

"Have you talked to Myoga yet?"

"Yeah, I did. He says to just take an early lunch. He wants us out on scene later. Apparently, Naraku's calling a conference against the wishes of his lawyer." Sango smiled wickedly.

"And of course, we'll be the first there," Kagome smirked. "Sounds good. Just give me a minute."

After grabbing her purse and belongings, the two girls headed out towards the café.

Miroku was waiting for them casually at the small coffee shop, with a sandwich and coffee in hand. They sat in a small booth against a window, able to watch the pedestrians as they walked by.

There was only one thing they missed.

All three of them were so engrossed in their discussions that they failed to notice one woman staring at them the entire time. Listening to daily routines, activities…

Especially what that girl named Kagome was doing the next day.

A secret meeting?

She would so have to be there.

The woman smiled to herself and removed her bug-eyed dark sunglasses from her face as she entered the café. She wanted to be able to watch her target from up close.

Fuck bugs. She was tired on listening to that bitch's voice through a mike.

* * *

**All the action starts next chapter. It's gonna be fun.**

**Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to all of my reviewers. You're the reason I keep writing. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Five_

* * *

"Are you sure this is the place?" a female asked, staring up at a townhouse new to the city. "The right address?"

"Of course I'm sure," another feminine voice answered, clearly unhappy with the lack of faith. "I know how to get shit done." Her voice, although light and tinkering was laced with menace, and no one but her own doubted her authority.

"Then let's get in," a male hissed. "It's fucking cold out."

Getting into the place wasn't difficult for the three intruders. With a plan that needed to be completed, the three entered the townhouse without tripping the alarm or waking the innocent owner.

And innocent only meant their ignorance.

"Here," the female leader whispered. "Grab it and do what you have to do," she said to the male, throwing him the object of their affection.

Minutes later, while the two women waited impatiently, the male worked tirelessly to set in place the trap they had created less than a week ago. Tonight was the night they acted upon it.

"What time?" the male asked.

"Four o'clock, this afternoon."

Silence filled the air.

"Are you fucking finished yet?" a dark hiss whispered into the inky blackness of the room. It was the female of lesser value.

"Fuck you, you fucker."

"Fuck you're bullshit. Finish the fucking thing already!" she whispered angrily. "We could get caught!"

"I'm almost fucking done! Back the fuck off!"

"Shut up." The leader's voice flowed through the room, interrupting the argument between man and woman. "Finish the job and let's get out of here."

It took exactly seven minutes and forty-eight seconds before they escaped the townhouse, careful to put everything back in place so the unsuspecting owner would remain that way.

"You sure this is the right place?" the female asked again, looking at their leader for another encouraging answer.

But all she got was a slap to the face.

* * *

It was bad enough that she had to meet with federal agents, so the last thing Kagome wanted to do before heading out to the small office building Special Agent Shippo Watanabe had told her to meet them at, was deal with Myoga's whining.

"You have to go _now_?" he asked, grumbling slightly. His fat shoulders heaved a sigh as he crossed his arms and his salt-coloured eyebrows crossed angrily. He was like a child whose mother wouldn't give out candy before dinner.

"Myoga, you told me I would be able to go home early today as long as I completed the story before two," Kagome argued half-heartedly. "There's nothing for me to do, is there?" She thought that if he desperately needed her, she could probably finish whatever work had to be done and still make it to the office on time.

Myoga shrugged. "Not…really. How's the story on Naraku going?"

"Well, nothing's really been going on. The police still aren't saying as to whether the Brotherhood Mafia is involved or any other gangs. Naraku's trial hasn't been brought back to court yet and his last press conference was hardly anything to talk about."

"And what about that Kikyo Hidaka girl?" Myoga pressed.

Kagome looked at him surprised. "What do you want to do about her? Everyone already knows that she was the murder victim of Naraku – or assumed murder victim of his since the whole innocent-before-proven-guilty thing."

Myoga shifted his weight uncomfortably. "I…don't know."

Kagome frowned. "Is something on your mind?" she asked worriedly.

"No," he answered, just a bit too quick. "Now go on before I change my mind. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Kagome nodded and thanked him before grabbing her large, heavy purse and jacket. Since she knew about the meeting with the feds, Kagome had told Sango to drive without her. Kagome had her own car; she just didn't usually drive it. It was a nice, two-door car but it was a pig on gas and even with the decent money she pulled in from reporting, she still barely paid her bills. Getting into said car, Kagome pulled out of the parking lot and turned down a small side street before heading towards the main road that would take her to the office.

The building was beside the police station in the parking lot over. Originally, the plan had been to meet the feds there but Agent Watanabe had called her to change. She figured that the police used this building but never knew for what reasons. Now, as she pulled into the lot just twenty minutes later, Kagome studied the grey building dismally.

She was early, and with what she could see there was little to entertain her for any decent length of time. Myoga's conversation had led for her to be leaving late enough that drinking a coffee at a café would be too long but driving straight there would be too quick. Locking her doors, she leaned against the blue paint and sighed. It was colder outside than she was used to, and the air around her seemed to nip at her pale skin. Regardless of the weather, Kagome's mind was burning with millions of questions.

What had been going on in Myoga's mind? Kagome couldn't comprehend her boss's actions when he talked to her about the case. He was nervous and shaky; he never held a good argument, no matter what side he talked for. It felt to her as if he didn't want her to go but had no reason to make her stay. He seemed torn and his frustrated expression said it all.

"This is stupid," Kagome murmured, shivering slightly and straightening from her car. She decided quickly that waiting inside the building was better than standing outside in the cool air. As she approached the main doors, she noticed the odd tint of the glass. She couldn't see inside the building at all, but it was clearly glass. Kagome reached for the door handle and pulled it open hastily, feeling the breeze bite at her. If the feds couldn't see her right then, she had no problem waiting since they were all probably busy with the case.

And that's when it hit her.

Or, more specifically, _he_ hit her.

"God-fucking-dammit," a long stringed curse came from the man lying at her feet.

Her heart dropped to her stomach and still somehow managed to get her throat choked up. There he was: her sexy, raw stranger.

"You!"

Kagome was pulled out of her daring thoughts at the sound of the accusation. When she finally realized her position, she moved her feet from out under his head and bent down to pick up papers that we flittering in the breeze.

"Ow, fuck your life," sexy raw stranger hissed, cursing.

Kagome froze, her temper flaring. What the hell was he doing there in the first place? And why the _hell_ was he cursing at her? She didn't do anything. He was obviously leaning against the door or something because all she had done was pull it open and there he fell. Poof.

Hardly her fault.

"Fuck _my_ life?" she asked hotly.

"Yeah. The whole attempt to lift your weight on a bench press machine is stupid. But the fact that you can't open a fucking door without causing a catastrophe is pathetic."

"Pathetic?" Kagome coughed, her temper building. "Why you fucking _bastard_! Why don't you just go in some tiny little hole where you belong so I can go to my meeting peacefully? Why are you even here?"

He smirked. "I work here wench. What are you doing here?"

"Are you deaf?" Kagome retorted. "I said I was going to a meeting."

"With whom?" he asked.

"Two federal agents," Kagome replied smoothly, glaring at him. Ha! She was doing a good thing and he couldn't fault her for that, could he? No! Ha! "I'm helping them with some information."

Suddenly, the man's face fell. His gorgeous, sexy, raw… Mm. Kagome looked away. His amber eyes were intensely set on hers. "They wouldn't happen to be Special Agents Inuyasha Taisho and Shippo Watanabe, would they?"

Kagome shrugged. "I don't know the first one but I'm definitely speaking with Agent Watanabe."

"_Special_ Agent," her stranger corrected dully. His fire seemed to die within him. "And you have met the other agent actually."

"Oh yeah? Who?" Kagome asked, wondering why she was even bothering to have this conversation with him. What importance was he? She had a meeting to go to and he was going to make her late.

"Me, you dumbass," he almost whispered. His voice was so low, she hadn't been sure he said it. "I'm Special Agent Inuyasha Taisho," he spoke to her louder, more confident. "And I told you I knew you from somewhere Ms. Higurashi."

Kagome could physically feel the blood draining from her face. She felt it twist and shrivel under her stranger's intense glare. But oh no, not her _stranger_. The fucking federal agent she was supposed to meet with.

Her life was saved by a federal agent.

She very angrily fought with a federal agent twice.

She called said federal agent very crude names.

Well, he was right about one thing: _fuck my life_, she thought miserably.

Kagome stuck out her hand professionally, feeling that she had to make it up to him. "Call me Kagome."

He just nodded and briefly looked at the papers in his hands. "I guess you can just come with me, as long as you don't try to do or say anything stupid."

Lowering her obviously rejected hand, Kagome's temper flared. "Look, Special Agent Taisho–"

"Oh fuck it," he interrupted. "Call me Inuyasha."

"– I know we obviously started off on a bad note so how about we try to forget it and…start new?" she suggested.

Inuyasha smirked. "Not likely wench."

"You're extremely unprofessional," Kagome countered.

"I saved your life so we'll call it even," he responded.

Kagome didn't reply but chose instead to insult him inside her own head. He couldn't make any sassy, ugly retorts then.

"You're early," he said after a while, walking back into the building and down a corridor with many blank doors.

"I try to be," Kagome answered, wondering how anyone could tell which door led to what since they all looked the same.

Inuyasha snorted. "I see. So you know about _Demon X_?"

"Shouldn't we be talking about this with Special Agent Watanabe?" Kagome asked, slightly curious.

He shook his head. "He's still training technically. He's out in the field but under my supervision. I'm his assigned…_mentor_." He seemed to sneer at the word.

"Well I'll help in any way that I can."

"How do you know so much?" Inuyasha asked her. "Did you learn it all from reporting the Morikawa case?"

Kagome nodded. "You know about it?"

Inuyasha didn't answer. Instead, he walked into a room where a thin man with shaggy orange-red hair sat. He stood up immediately and smiled, showing perfect white teeth and a face full of freckles.

"Ms. Higurashi?" Agent Shippo Watanabe asked.

"Kagome," she corrected. His smile was infectious and she found herself staring into his emerald eyes.

"Enough please," Inuyasha cut in quickly with a sigh, throwing his papers on a desk that sat against a wall. "I would like to start asking questions now."

Shippo waved his hand for her to sit down on a chair across from him and his partner. Kagome did so quietly, her eyes watching Inuyasha warily. Without making too much of a noise she placed her purse under her chair, placing it far enough back she wouldn't crush it with her heels. She might need the purse if Special Agent Inuyasha was going to continue to be a dickhead. However, as she watched him, she noticed features she hadn't studied before. His figure was full of authority, poised and perfect. He held himself well and proudly – strange for someone whose career was based a lot on death.

Inuyasha sat down on the chair directly across from Kagome and leaned back, closing his eyes. "What is _Demon X_?"

"A drug," Kagome answered simply. "It's sold in pill form but many addicts cut it up to powder. The powder is far more potent and usually death is the ultimate ending."

"What about liquid form?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome shrugged and looked at Shippo. "Probably out there but I've never come across any story regarding it."

"And Naraku is the drug lord of this product."

It sounded like a statement but Kagome answered anyways. "Yes. But that wasn't discovered until the murder investigation of Kikyo Hidaka."

Inuyasha nodded, his eyes still closed. "He murdered her because she got too close. The hooker accidentally fell on his stash while trying to steal some money. We can determine that because she called a friend babbling about being paid by the _Demon X _drug lord. Solid, eh?" Inuyasha added.

"That's not really relevant," Shippo said, looking at his partner.

Inuyasha finally opened his eyes and pointed at Kagome. "It does when this wench could be her twin," he laughed.

"Inuyasha," Shippo scolded. "You can't do that."

But Kagome waved him off. "Forget it. We're even," she said pointedly at Inuyasha. "Jerk."

"Don't start with me," Inuyasha said in a singsong voice, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes once more. He looked like he was about to take a nap. "So back to our conversation. What does _Demon X_ do?"

"The ultimate high," Kagome answered. "You feel unstoppable. There's no pain until you start dying and once you're at that point, you don't live anyways. It's more affective on humans but demons still maintain that high. Their chances of survival though are far greater but the addiction is stronger."

"What happens when you start dying?"

Kagome shivered as she remembered the girl at Miroku's party. The poor girl had already lost her life... "Shivering, compulsive body movements, foaming at the mouth... When they do that it's because they took the pill. The pill dissolves instantly – making the instant high – so mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing is impossible or the other will feel the effects. Hallucinations, vomiting and fevers are also linked. Humans are addicted immediately, to the point that they can't live without it. Demons are addicted on the first try as well, however, it is possible for them to detoxify. The withdrawal from the drug though is extremely painful and trying."

"Sounds awesome," Inuyasha commented sarcastically. "So if the death rate is so high, why do humans do it?"

"Why does anyone do it?" Shippo added.

Kagome sighed. "Why does anyone do any drug? To help deal with psychological issues, to escape reality, to get a thrill... There are countless reasons. Put a drug out there and it will be used."

"And this is strictly tied to Naraku Morikawa," Shippo commented. "But you mentioned in one of your reports that gangs could be involved."

"A source told me that gangs have been profiting off of the drug by selling it. Them and the Brotherhood Mafia."

"Which makes dangerous enemies," Inuyasha said. "You said that in a report?"

Kagome nodded, indignant. "Of course. I never said it was _confirmed_, just suspicion."

Inuyasha muttered under his breath. "You're lucky that you're still breathing."

"Nothing will happen!" Kagome cried out, rolling her eyes. "Don't worry about having to save my life again."

"Wait, again?" Shippo asked, looking between Inuyasha and Kagome.

"Long story," Inuyasha cut short. "And that's _not_ what I worry about."

Kagome looked deep into his amber eyes, those sexy, gorgeous...

"Alright, I guess this is done then." Shippo's voice sounded awkward as he stood up from his chair.

Kagome snapped out of her daydream and stood up as well, her eyes still never leaving his. "Unless there's anything else?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "No. But I'll show you out."

"I can–"

"No," Inuyasha interrupted Shippo harshly and grabbed Kagome's elbow.

"Bye Shippo!" Kagome called as she was dragged out of the room. "Nice to meet you."

Inuyasha slammed the door behind them.

"Let go of me," Kagome hissed, trying to pry her arm from his grasp. "Are you schizo or something? One minute you act like you want to fall asleep and the next you're tearing through the halls practically pulling my arm out!"

"You need to get something through that thick skull of yours," Inuyasha bit out, each word sharper and harsher than necessary.

"Well it won't get through my head by dismembering my arm!" Kagome yelled, finally jerking her arm free. "What is your problem?"

"You and this whole, saving-your-life business. Stop using it against me. Yes, I saved your ass but _no_, I do not regret it and _no_, I do not worry about having to do it again in the near future. Get over it!"

Kagome stopped walking, rubbing her arm and glaring at him. "You're very bad at convincing me otherwise. I'm sorry but this little 'talk' isn't really helping me think any of what you just said is true."

"I'm sorry I'm not on my knees begging," Inuyasha shouted sarcastically. "Why are you such a bitch?"

"Why are you such an asshole?" Kagome countered.

"Because I have to be in this job. I have to be an asshole to get through watching people die and watching the bad guys get away. Believe me when I say there is little justice in this sick and twisted world."

"And you're going to take it out on me?"

Inuyasha growled. "Maybe it'll make up for saving your life."

Kagome could hear the sarcasm in his voice when he said it, but the hurt was still there. What was he trying to do to her? He was angry at her for thinking that he regretted saving her life and then he dragged her out to the hallway to argue with her about it so that she wouldn't think that and now, he was making the comment that he did. Immediately, Kagome stormed away, shaking her head to stop the tears from flowing.

"Oh my God!" Inuyasha cursed, following her. "You can't be serious! Did you not happen to notice the sarcasm in that?"

"You fucking bastard!" Kagome screamed, not stopping or turning around.

"I was being sarcastic. You know I was being sarcastic," he said.

Kagome could hear that he was following her, and he was gaining ground. She sped up anyways, regardless of the knowledge that he would catch up to her.

"Damn it. Answer me!" Inuyasha shouted.

"I don't–"

His grip on her arm forced her to stop momentarily, feeling his power as he held her back. This time, as she fought to break her arm free once more, she knew that there was no escape. If he didn't want to let her go, she wasn't going to go.

"I don't have to answer to you for anything," Kagome repeated, this time finishing her sentence.

Inuyasha sighed, frustrated. "You're being difficult. Where's your car?"

Kagome pointed to her small two-door vehicle. "Right there."

Inuyasha started to walk towards it, dragging Kagome behind him.

"Wait!" Kagome called out, trying to stop him to no avail. "My purse is still back in the room."

And that's when it happened.

To say that it happened quickly would be dead wrong, because the ugly, horrible truth, was that it occurred so slowly that later on, she would have considered herself a coward for not doing anything.

The sound of an explosion from deep within the building forced Kagome to whip her head around and stare. But for that, she had no time. Inuyasha grabbed her at the waist and pulled her at a run, all but carrying her to her blue car.

Kagome didn't even really get to see the building before flames started to eat it up. All she saw was the terrible smoke that rose into the cloudy, sunless sky as Inuyasha drove away, somehow managing to fish her car keys out her of jacket pocket.

How he did that, she would never know.

Because all she heard was the sound of destruction.

"Twice," she murmured sadly.

Inuyasha growled in frustration, spinning the car out in a parking lot a safe distance away from the building that was now completely engulfed in smoke. "What?"

Kagome looked at him from the passenger seat, her chocolate eyes filled with a defiant happiness. "You saved my life twice now."

* * *

"Holy shit."

The curse left the woman's crimson lips in style. She watched from a building not too far away as the first and second level of the building was engulfed in flames. For those not already burning, the smoke was sure to kill the rest.

She put on her bug-like black sunglasses and quickly left, her high-heels clicking like a clock on the sidewalk.

Like a time bomb.

Apparently, her target wasn't just hers to claim.

That bomb had been meant to kill Kagome Higurashi.

* * *

**Ahahaha. And so my evil plot begins. When I said in the summary that the world was going to be after them, I meant it.**

**Just wait and see.**

**Please REVIEW! Your thoughts and questions are always well received!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's another chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Six_

* * *

Inuyasha took in his surroundings, all the while ignoring the cramping pain in his legs. He was unusually close to the steering wheel, mainly because it wasn't his car to drive. Looking in the passenger seat, he watched the shaken body of Kagome Higurashi who stared out the window at the billowing smoke in horror.

Adjusting the seat, Inuyasha thought of his next move. That bomb... Where had it come from? There was nothing else that explosion could have been. It was obviously an explosive and now, he was stuck with the question as to why it was there and what it was meant to do.

A soft moan from Kagome's lips made his brain click.

"Motherfucker," Inuyasha cursed, shaking his head. He looked at the pale girl with intense eyes, studying her shocked face at his language.

"You should really tone down the cursing," Kagome said and Inuyasha got a sense of déjà vu.

Remembering his New Year's resolution, he scoffed. "You."

Kagome raised a brow, her eyes on him. "Me?"

"Yes you. You were the reason for the bomb. I seem to remember a conversation in that building that is currently burning that you were – what did I say? – lucky to be breathing? Alive? Something like that. That _bomb_, that explosion, was meant for you."

"No."

Inuyasha had the sudden urge to smack her. "Excuse me?"

Kagome shook her head frantically with her eyes back to gazing out the window. "It's not possible. All I did was say a name... A possible name. Nothing confirmed."

"Do you think gangs _care_, Kagome? You just busted them, either for something they did or didn't do. Gangs don't want attention. And – wait – you mentioned the mafia, too, didn't you?"

Kagome gave a brief, jerky nod.

"Oh dear fuck."

"Fudge," Kagome corrected.

It was Inuyasha's turn to raise a brow. "I hope to God you did _not_ did correct my language. Fuck is not to be replaced with something as ridiculous and pussy-sounding as _fudge_. End of story."

Kagome sighed and he watched her intently. She was pretty, he thought to himself. Thin and curvy with long wavy black hair. She had a smile that he had yet to see reach its full potential but for some sick and twisted reason he wanted to see it. He watched her chest as she breathed in and out softly. She licked her lips and then bit the lower part, and he could tell that she was thinking about what he said, wondering if he was right. Well of course he was right. He wasn't a federal agent for nothing.

"I need to call Sango," Kagome murmured quietly but Inuyasha shook his head.

"Oh no you're not. You'll put her in danger if you do."

"How?" Kagome demanded. "It's not like a stupid low-end gang is going to tap phone lines and listen in!"

"The _mafia_ has connections," Inuyasha explained tirelessly. "You don't know that she isn't being watched right now."

"So what do we do?" Kagome demanded, her voice wobbly. He had the sick feeling in his stomach that she was going to cry.

"We hide you for a while," Inuyasha said, purposely lowering his voice and trying to sound comforting. Not that he was. "Just so you can lay low until this entire case is blown off. With Naraku in jail and all the leads going to dead ends, if there are any, you should be fine."

"Should?" Kagome questioned.

Inuyasha stared at her, his amber eyes grim and his mouth in a hard line. "I don't want to go into detail of everything I've seen."

Those words, Kagome thought, were so powerful and deep with underlying meaning that she wanted to touch him. To hold his hand and just...listen. She knew just by looking at him that he didn't want pity or anyone clinging to him. He sure as hell didn't need babying with a body and mind like that. Sure, maybe his mother could've shoved soap in his mouth to end his bad habit but still... Inuyasha. Special Agent Inuyasha Taisho was someone, Kagome realized, that saw more and knew more than the soul should ever see or know.

"Take a fucking picture," he growled lightly, turning his head away from hers and starting the car. "It will last longer."

Kagome sighed. Or maybe he was just an asshole. "Where are we even going to go? I don't have anywhere. Coral is all I have."

"I do," Inuyasha said hesitantly. "I guess I can leave you there."

"Leave?" Kagome asked. She didn't feel in danger. In all truth, the bomb felt unrealistic. Far away. She didn't feel scared or frightened at all. But the thought of him leaving her was a little intimidating. She never liked being alone, especially in a foreign place. "You can't."

"I'm on a case, remember?" Inuyasha told her. "I'm going to be in enough shit as it is for driving you up there."

She didn't ask how he would get back, and secretly, she hoped he wouldn't. "Can we at least go back to my place and get some things?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "You crazy? We'll buy some stuff at the store up there."

Kagome sighed. "Me and what money? It was in my purse. That was left in the building that is currently burning to the ground."

"Oh goddammit, I'll buy it. I don't give a fuck."

"Fudge."

Inuyasha gave her a dirty look. "I just have to go somewhere first."

Pulling out of the parking lot, Inuyasha felt his phone vibrate.

* * *

Shippo couldn't make his heart slow down.

"Are you alright?" a male policeman asked. "Are you hurt?"

Shippo shook his head and put a hand to his chest. He had literally almost died. Now you would think that being a special agent would prepare him for stuff like that, but really, it didn't. He was lucky that he was such a snoop or he would've been under all of the burning rubble that the firemen were working so hard to extinguish.

His first thought when Inuyasha walked out of the room with a flailing Kagome was that he was pissed. Curious as to know why, Shippo had followed them silently. He had only been with Inuyasha for a little while, but he knew better than to piss the federal agent off. Inuyasha Taisho was not a man to deal with. If he was in a bad mood, you would be best to stay far, far away. Like in another country.

Shippo had picked up most of the conversation. Inuyasha had somehow saved Kagome's life. How recent, he didn't know. All he knew was that his hard-ass trainer had a soft spot for the beautiful reporter. The only way he could tell there was a soft spot in the cold exterior was because when she stormed out on him, he followed her like a lost puppy. Shippo almost snickered at the thought.

He watched as workers surrounded him and his heart sank when men yelled, alerting others of a body. It would only be a few minutes later for them to realize that the body was dead and gone. Shippo went to help, and he himself pulled out several bodies. So far, the count was twenty-two injured and five dead.

The bomb itself hadn't been large. On a scale of one to ten, it was most likely a four or five. It blew up alright, but it was the building itself that caused the problems. It just so happened that the entire security system was being reconfigured that day. Fire alarms were still working but part of the building went into lock-down. Three bodies were found near a charred door frame since the actual structure was no longer there.

The building hadn't collapsed but workers feared that it would at any moment. Surrounding workers and help stations were situated at a far distance that would be safe if the building was ever to tip. The other problem with the building was the insulation. It was overdue for renovation and guess what: the insulation was more than flammable. Add a little bang and spark and the building went ka-boom. The first two floors were charred but the third was only remotely damaged and the rest were fine. But a bad foundation was definitely not going to hold up for long.

When workers told him to go home, Shippo didn't. He did, however, stick around his vehicle and watch as the fire fighters finished the job. He watched as policemen searched the streets. He knew that surveillance had already been taken and was probably already sorted through. It had been almost an hour since the explosion, and with the damage of a police funded building came the damage of the city's ego. Whoever did this was going to be found.

It wasn't until Shippo's phone rang that he left his troubled thoughts.

"Watanabe," Shippo answered.

"_Shippo, where are you?_" He knew that voice. The head honcho as Inuyasha called him – Bokuseno Suzuki. He was the man that assigned him to Taisho in the first place. Inuyasha, when not sarcastically calling him Suzuki, referred to him as fuck-face. Yeah, that's Inuyasha for you.

"At the building still."

"_Are you alone? Is Taisho with you?_"

"Negative," Shippo replied, frowning. The tone in Bokuseno's voice was intimidating and very, very furious. "Why?"

"_Because I have surveillance of him quickly exiting out of the building right before the explosion with the suspect_."

Suspect? They had a suspect already? "I don't understand. Inuyasha was with me until he left with our source. He was bringing her–"

"_What's her name_?" Bokuseno snapped.

"Kagome Higurashi. She's a reporter for RCN news," Shippo answered uneasily. "How is she a suspect?"

An exasperated and clearly annoyed sigh could be heard. "_She walked in with a very large purse and exited rather quickly without it. They ran before the fire could even be seen_. _Not only that but the video surveillance for the interior of the building is non-existent due to the repairs._"

"The explosion was very loud," Shippo said slowly. "And she and Inuyasha got into a heated discussion so I'm sure she just forgot–"

"_About what, Watanabe?_" Bokuseno cut him off.

Shippo had a very bad feeling. "I don't really know. Something about something that happened before." He sounded vague but he tried to pass off as casual. He didn't like the tone the H.H. was giving him and he sure as hell didn't like the idea as his partner being framed for something that obviously wasn't his to be framed for.

"_Details_."

"He knew her from before," Shippo sighed. "I don't know how. Something about saving her life. He didn't seem to like her very much." He added the last part in to make it seem like he couldn't be involved.

"_Are you sure?_"

"Not entirely. That's what was said but I don't know what it was about," Shippo answered boldly. "I wasn't part of that conversation. He left with her because he was mad at her. Not because they were trying to escape."

"_You better watch your tone,_" the deep voice warned. "_Right now I've got a possible act of terrorism and I have nothing. I only have outside surveillance with Taisho and Ms. Higurashi exiting the building rashly. I need answers. Come back here later. You will be reassigned to another while Taisho is dealt with_."

Dealt with?

"_And that's an order_."

Shippo hung up the phone, rather shaken. Things didn't look too good right now for Inuyasha. He thought about it for a moment, realizing that this was now another federal case. Any act of terrorism or potential terrorism was dealt with by the FBI. Any agent with possible subjection to any case was instantly demoted and off-duty. Potentially forever. Moving shaggy red hair from his face, Shippo jumped in his car and started it, pulling away from Inuyasha's left behind Dodge. His mission was clear and simple, but difficult in modern times. Where the _hell_ was a phone booth?

Finally spotting one miles away, Shippo parked his car and dialled Inuyasha's cell number. He needed to tell Inuyasha to stay the hell away because one thing was for sure: Bokuseno didn't give away suspect information as openly as that without reason. There was no doubt in Shippo's mind that more incriminating evidence was placed on him.

Inuyasha being _dealt with_ was just another way for saying "arrested".

* * *

"I can't fucking believe this," Inuyasha shouted into the cell phone.

Kagome realized instantly that the call was from Shippo. At that moment, she felt her chest tighten, realizing that he had been where the bomb was and that he was lucky to be alive without casualty. She listened intently to the one side of the conversation that she could follow along with. From what she understood, it was really bad because:

Inuyasha wasn't talking much and

He was so red she thought he was actually going to implode.

Not explode – implode. Just that much worse.

"Shippo, if I hide, I'll guarantee that my job is lost. There's nothing I can do."

Some muttering on the other end intrigued Kagome. She wondered what he was talking about.

"Do you think I give a shit?"

Shippo murmured some more.

"Yeah, so she's right. It's not like she's a clue or anything."

A short sentence.

"Okay, okay. Fine. But that's still not a guarantee. Pretending I have no clue what's going on while continuing the case with my cell phone conveniently off all the time is really hard to explain at the end."

After some angry grumbling on Inuyasha's part and some incomprehensible sentences on Shippo's, Kagome watched in horror as Inuyasha threw his cell phone on the dash board. The screen smashed into pieces with a thick crack and Kagome whirled back in her chair, stunned.

"Fuck this bullshit," Inuyasha cursed, growling deep within his chest. His hands were clutching the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white.

Kagome dared not to correct his foulness. "What...What's wrong Inuyasha?"

Instead of answering, Inuyasha stepped on the accelerator, forcing the little v-four engine to roar to life. They sped past other cars at an extreme rate and Kagome was so scared she didn't even want to know how fast they were going. The idea of how much speed they had just created the idea of how devastating the impact would be.

She didn't talk, and truthfully she didn't talk for most of the car ride. Inuyasha slowed down eventually, calming the car and even going through a tiny donut shop drive-thru. He didn't get her anything though, nor did he ask, but at least he calmed himself down.

They drove for two hours straight. By the end of the two hours, Kagome was desperately hungry and in the need of a bathroom ASAP. She was just about to ask him how much longer when he abruptly pulled down a small town street. Little shops surrounded the area and up ahead, Kagome could see a grocery store.

"You see that store right there?"

Kagome stared at him, watching him with a wary expression. He hadn't talked to her for the entire ride. He was deadly silent but now that he stopped, he chatted with her as if they'd been talking the whole drive.

"Go in there for some clothing. He's my credit card." He gave her a brief smirk. "Please don't spend an agonizing amount. You just need a week's worth and by that point, I'll see about going back to your apartment for some things."

"O-kay," Kagome said, sounding choppy. "But I'm not even a guy. Won't they be suspicious of me using it?"

Inuyasha just chuckled and got out of the car. She followed quickly, extremely confused. Kagome had just gotten out of the car when he was in front of her, his light eyes staring down into hers. "Here," he whispered, handing her a pair of sunglasses she always left in her car. "Wear these if you can and don't show your face too much. You're kind of a wanted suspect. I'm going to buy you some food at the store. I'm _sure_ that I'll be done before you though." He seemed to give a small laugh, something that was seriously tripping Kagome up, and then started to saunter away.

"Wait!" she yelled. "I'm a–" She lowered her voice and hissed the last part. "_Suspect_?"

"Shop," he yelled back to her, not turning around.

So Kagome was standing there, with his credit card, a pair of sunglasses and a feeling that she was staying with a psychopath. She sighed.

Turning around and entering the store Inuyasha suggested, she was happy to see a quaint boutique that specialized in modern women's clothing. She saw tank tops, shorts, skirts, jeans... Kagome smiled and looked at his credit card with joy.

"Can I help you?" A small woman with long grey hair and a gentle smile greeted her. One look at her nametag told Kagome she was the owner of the store, and that her name was Tekkei. She had to be in her sixties, but she dressed like a model. She was healthy and thin, and she seemed to vibrate with life.

"I'm just looking for a few things," Kagome said, smiling. She tried not to look the woman dead in the eye.

"Well if you need any help, let me know."

Kagome searched the store, picking up a few tank tops, t-shirts, a sweater, two pairs of jeans, a couple skirts, a bra and ten pairs of thongs. She was currently wearing black slacks and a dark red blouse which was not really regular day wear. She went to the register and piled the folded clothes, looking down at the counter. She handed the woman the credit card and tried to look casually out the window. Hiding her face had been harder than she thought.

Tekkei took the credit card and soon, a small gasp escaped her lips. "Inuyasha Taisho? Is he here?"

Kagome finally faced the woman, a look of surprise on her face. "Um, what do you mean?"

"Oh! You must be his girlfriend!" the older woman cooed. She smiled brilliantly. "You certainly are beautiful. How he got someone like you, I don't know. Amazing kid, but what a foul mouth! How do you deal with it?"

Kagome smiled uneasily and shrugged. "I, uh, correct him?" She noticed how it sounded like a question more than an answer but couldn't help it.

"Poor Izayoi, rest her soul. She tried her hardest. Mind you, he never swore when she was around, oh no." Tekkei swiped the card and sighed blissfully. "Unfortunately, you never had the chance to meet her. She was a beautiful woman. She spent the last few months of her life here. You know she would shop here every week and buy just one item. She was my favourite customer and I always gave her a discount." She crackled up laughing, "Not that I let her know that, of course. She would spit fire and brimstone."

Kagome didn't know what to say. Tekkei handed her Inuyasha's credit card and the receipt to sign as she bagged the clothing. She wrote his name in a heavy script, not really knowing how he usually signed it. Suddenly, the devil walked in.

"I told you I'd be faster," Inuyasha commented, making his way towards her. He ripped the receipt out of her hands and shook his head. "Women," he muttered.

"Oh, I gave her your mother's old discount too," Tekkei said with a grin. She handed the bag to Kagome. "Have a good day! Oh!" Inuyasha was part-way out the door but stopped. His face was oddly expressionless.

"You two will have beautiful children," Tekkei sighed happily. "Izayoi would be so pleased you finally found the love you deserve."

Kagome almost choked. She looked at Inuyasha, eyes wide. To her annoyance, he smirked. "Yeah, because that's what we found."

"Bye dear!" Tekkei waved and Kagome gave a short wave back, practically running out of the store. Inuyasha was already in the driver's seat of her car and she threw the clothes at her feet.

"Um," Kagome started. "What was that?"

"She was a friend of my , _darling_," he sneered. "That's the excuse you came up with? That you were my wife?"

Kagome's temper flared. "Not even close! She assumed that I was your girlfriend! And then she was talking to me about your mother and how she lived around here and shopped there every day and _I DID NOT ASK FOR THE DISCOUNT_ she just gave it to me but then she was talking about how cute we must be and how it must be sad that I couldn't meet your mother and then you walked in and she just started hurling assumptions and then the _children_! And the _love_! And the _discount_! Which I never asked for but I didn't do it and _why the hell would you think I did that anyways_, you _jerk_!"

Inuyasha was silent for the entire ride while Kagome fumed. Fifteen minutes later they pulled into a long winding driveway. A large log cabin came into sight, and Kagome suddenly felt her anger draining away.

"It's beautiful here," Kagome murmured, taking in the trees. "How old is it?"

"A hundred years or so, I think. It was my old man's before my mom took it over when he passed," Inuyasha answered. Kagome noticed again that his expression was strangely vacant and his amber eyes were tight. Whatever Tekkei said in the shop, obviously got to him. Was it because of the whole kid thing? Was it because he thought that she told that old woman that they were together?

Kagome helped him to unload the car. While she packed the cupboards with cereal and bread, Inuyasha turned on the television. There were limited channels but he managed to turn it to a new station where her face filled the screen. Her name and information were all over the television and Kagome almost dropped the bag of pasta.

"What the fuck?" she whispered.

"Fuck my life," Inuyasha growled, shaking his head. "As if things couldn't get worse."

* * *

The Panther Gang stood around in a living room, looking at each other.

"Is she dead?" Toran Toma asked, looking at her giant friend.

Shuran Takatsuka shook his head. "No, she's..."

* * *

"...Alive," Bankotsu Takeshi sighed. He stood before his brothers, shaking his head. As leader of the Brotherhood mafia, he was the one to make all the decisions. "So now, it's our turn to kill her."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**As I promised.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Seven_

* * *

"I'm a wanted fugitive!" Kagome wailed, chopping up the carrots a little more violently than necessary. "How? I was just trying to help and now I'm stuck in a cabin –which is beautiful, by the way – making dinner for a grumpy federal agent that's known as my alias!"

"Do you think I _want_ this?" Inuyasha growled back at her, grabbing the barbeque tongs and storming outside of the cottage.

"Do you think I want this?" Kagome mimicked, making one last violent chop before dumping the contents into a large bowl of lettuce and other vegetables.

"You're not exactly quiet you know!" Inuyasha hollered. "And I only shut the screen door."

Kagome rolled her eyes and flipped him off. He couldn't _hear_ the wind whisk around her finger, now could he?

Inuyasha walked back in, scowling at her. "Why are you whining?"

"Because I'm not a fugitive!" Kagome snapped. She threw the knife into the sink and screamed. "I didn't do anything wrong and I'm stuck here _helpless_. Sango and Miroku don't even know where I am and I can't contact them."

"It will be fine," Inuyasha stated, his voice hard. He was trying to reassure her, but the watery gaze in her eyes was too much for him to handle. Obviously, he wasn't doing a very good job. "I'll find a way to tell them."

"How?" Kagome yelled, her temper finally loose.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Inuyasha's body heaved up and down, his mouth parted after screaming so loud and Kagome shut right up. She stared at him, flustered and terrified, and quickly finished the salad.

How could she have been so stupid? So whiny? She probably sounded like a wounded lap dog. The thought made her shudder. She needed to suck it up and deal with whatever pain and frustration she had on her on terms – in her mind.

"Are the steaks almost ready?" Kagome asked quietly, her gaze lowered to the kitchen counter. She was looking through drawers, trying to find the cutlery.

"I'm getting them right now," Inuyasha said. He realized his mistake instantly when the sound was rough. She jumped and caught her hand in the drawer she was slamming closed. He watched her wince and then, biting her lip, she went back to looking. "It's the drawer on the right," Inuyasha murmured softly. "The plates are in the cupboard above it."

Kagome briefly glanced his way and then shot her eyes downwards. She was avoiding looking at him. "Thanks," she mumbled, finding what she was looking for.

Inuyasha went outside and got the steaks, feeling the sun shine on him while the cool breeze made him shiver. He hated winter. How those Canadians did it, he'd never know. When he returned inside, determined to make her look at him without fear, he noticed that the table was delicately set for two, with candles lit up and the television humming softly in the background.

Kagome was in the living room that partnered the kitchen, the remote in her hands as she changed the channel to the weather. "Is this okay?" she asked hesitantly, attempting to meet his gaze. When he looked at her, her pale face, dark hair and deep brown eyes, Inuyasha wasn't sure what he felt. She was terrified, it was clear on her face. Just the churning fear he could see roll through her eyes was enough, but it was also enough to learn that the fear was not of him. For some reason, he was grateful.

"Yeah," Inuyasha said, purposely softening his voice. "It looks great. Thanks."

"Oh shit!" Kagome cursed, suddenly running into the kitchen. She ripped open the oven and with the lone cloth she found on the counter, she quickly grabbed the cooking sheet and threw it on top of the oven. "Hot," she breathed out as she retracted her hand and blew cool air on it.

"What the hell was in there?"

Kagome turned around sharply, her expression unreadable, and Inuyasha nearly smacked himself. The whole try-and-not-scare-her idea wasn't doing too well for him.

"It-it is garlic bread. With, um, cheese," Kagome managed to stutter out. "I thought, you know, meat is the steak, fruits and veggies is the salad and garlic bread for the grains."

"The food groups?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes widening. Was she serious?

The expression on her face made it evident that she was. "Well, I didn't know if you were healthy like that – or not. I just didn't want to ruin it."

Inuyasha closed his eyes and set the plate of steaks on the table. He walked over to her slowly, gauging her reaction as he neared. She wasn't scared, just worried. She wasn't certain if he was mad at her.

"Kagome," Inuyasha started slowly, inching towards her body. "For god's sake," he continued, "relax." He was now right up against her, his face tilted down towards hers. She was biting her lip again, probably trying to judge the situation. Inuyasha blew on her face lightly and watched as she frowned.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to distract you," Inuyasha murmured. "You're biting your lip and thinking too hard. I am not a healthy eater. I'm a federal agent and most of my meals are on the go."

Kagome swallowed, watching as his face inched even closer to hers. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and her heart fluttering faster.

Did she just think _fluttering_? Oh god.

"Well, you're distracting me, alright," Kagome blurted out.

Inuyasha smirked as Kagome smacked her hand across her mouth. "Not like that," she mumbled into her hand.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you."

Kagome sighed and took her hand away. "Not like that, you idiot," she repeated softly. "Now the food's getting cold. Do you want the bread or not?"

Inuyasha smirked, and Kagome vaguely wondered if he was capable of a real smile. "Of course. It's my favourite."

Walking away and sitting down at the table, Inuyasha separated the food out. Two steaks for him and one for her – not that she minded. Kagome cut up the bread and went to the table, sitting down and watching Inuyasha as he already devoured half of his first steak.

"Thanks for waiting," Kagome grumbled, but happily got herself some salad.

"Did you say something?" Inuyasha asked, looking at her with wide eyes. He had absolutely no idea what she had said. The steak was probably talking to him while he ate.

_Eat me...eat me..._

Or something like that.

"So, Inuyasha," Kagome started uneasily. She waited until he finished chewing before continuing. "What about the townspeople around here? I mean that old woman – Tekkei? – knew we were here so what if she rats us out? I mean, we are wanted and on the television."

Inuyasha smirked and shook his head, dumping the rest of the large bowl of salad onto his plate. Thank god she had taken some beforehand because there was certainly none left now. "They won't do anything," Inuyasha assured her. "These people knew my parents and respected them. They wouldn't do a thing."

"Are you sure?" she asked, hesitantly. "I believe what you say but still... It's a big risk."

"Trust me," Inuyasha said, holding her gaze. His eyes were intense; the thought came back to her, making her remember when he was yelling at her outside of the building before it exploded. "My parents helped a lot of them. Well, my mom anyways. They wouldn't do it because they know it would be bad for them."

Kagome nodded slightly and started finishing off her salad. "What did your mom do?"

Inuyasha almost choked, he laughed so hard. She heard traced of bitterness in it and the sound didn't make her feel good. "Whatever was needed really. She was one of those people that would help anyone and everyone, no matter what. One guy tried to rob her once, and while he was running he went straight into a car. He almost died, but my mom put pressure on his head wound until paramedics arrived and saved him."

"Wow," Kagome whispered, watching his expression. He didn't seem angry, just bitter and sad. She wondered if they were really close, but decided that his mood was a roller coaster of emotions anyways. She didn't want him biting her head off for being nosy.

They ate in silence after that, Inuyasha devouring every little piece of food in front of him. He alone ate two steaks, three-quarters of a large bowl of salad and eight out of ten pieces of garlic cheese bread. Her measly one steak, one-quarter of salad and two sliced of garlic cheese bread looked like mice food in comparison.

"Where does it go?" Kagome asked, smiling when she realized that she was done but he wasn't. Although he didn't have much left.

"Where does what go?" Inuyasha mumbled between chunks of bread.

"The food," she exclaimed. "Did you see how much you ate?"

"No, but I tasted how much food I ate. It was really good." And then he went back to eating.

Was that a compliment? Kagome decided that it was...sort of. Inuyasha and the whole compliment thing were pretty difficult to put together – just like water and oil.

Inuyasha finished with a huge sigh, and lay back in his chair. "I'm full," he groaned.

"I would hope so."

Inuyasha raised a brow. "Why?"

"Well you might have eaten all the food I need for tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. I need to eat too, you know."

Again, Inuyasha sighed.

Kagome looked at the television screen, watching as the weatherman stated cooler weather on the way. "So... How about that weather?"

"Can you not just rest in silence?" Inuyasha grumbled, his eyes still shut. "I was enjoying the peace."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Here we go again."

"Again with what?" he snapped.

"Your attitude!"

"I don't have one!" Inuyasha shouted.

Kagome laughed and pointed at his angry face. "As if, you idiot. Look at yourself."

Inuyasha growled. "Feh."

The laughter almost choked her. "What did you just say?"

"I need to make a call," Inuyasha spat out and stood up, racing out of the kitchen. He was almost at the hallway, and from there he would go to his room and sit in nice silence. Stupid wench, couldn't she figure out he liked quiet? He didn't often get quiet so when he did it was something to look forward to. But a small hand, cooler than his warm skin, stopped him at the doorway. He turned around and saw Kagome's face filled with worry.

"Don't go off and be mad," she whispered. "I didn't mean to make you angry...again."

"You have that habit," Inuyasha said roughly, looking away. Goddammit she looked so vulnerable. No wonder she was one of the best reporters out there. She was beautiful, sounded intelligent and looked vulnerable. The look in her eyes never went away. She was all grown up but still just as alone as a child. Not that her body represented a child in any way...just her eyes.

"Look, I'll stop. You can go relax in the living room and I'll just clean up the kitchen, okay? I'll be quiet."

Inuyasha stared down at her, reluctant to look away. "Why do you care if I'm in the same room with you or not?"

Kagome dropped her hand like his arm burned her and lowered her eyes to the floor. "Well, you're the only person I have right now," she mumbled, her voice so low he could barely hear it. "It's not like I can go anywhere anymore and with this whole stupid thing, I can't exactly leave. I don't have a place to go for help."

Inuyasha felt like shit. Obviously, he couldn't remain on good terms with this woman for very long but she always came back. Thinking about it, she didn't have anyone. Her best friends were probably being watched, the police were everywhere and the FBI wanted both of them. He was lucky this cottage wasn't under his name but his brother's, and that his brother held the only rights. It would make looking for them harder.

"I'm not going anywhere," Inuyasha sighed. "Not yet. But I do have to make an important call. When I'm finished I'll help you clean up." He didn't let her answer, since he went down the hall and into his room, shutting the door. The number was programmed into his cell and he waited impatiently while it rang.

"_Nagashima_," the old toad croaked and Inuyasha grimaced.

"Jaken, it's Inuyasha. I just wanted to see if you had all the paperwork done?"

"_Of course I have it done_!" Jaken barked, chuckling to himself. "_When are you going to pick it up_?"

Inuyasha hesitated, wondering if it was a trap. Had the FBI already gotten to him? "Have you heard of anything from my superiors?"

Jaken paused on the phone. "_No, why would I_?"

"It doesn't matter. When's the earliest I could get the paperwork?"

"_Right now, if you wanted. I was planning on leaving in a few minutes though_."

"What time do you work tomorrow?"

Jaken hummed for a bit. "_Seven in the morning. You want to pick it up then_?"

"Yeah, I won't be able to come get it right away," Inuyasha answered.

When he hung up, the room was silent. If he was smart, he would leave now. He could drive most of the night, stay in some motel and be there right at seven in the morning to grab the paperwork. He wasn't sure how much time he had before the FBI was all over his case. He needed the information before they did. He'd also have to get what he needed from forensics too. If he left tomorrow, he'd have to leave around four in the morning. The thought really didn't appeal to him.

Leaving the room, Inuyasha walked into the kitchen and saw Kagome stacking the wet dishes in the sink. The counter was pristine and the table looked like it hadn't been touched, with the exception of the burnt out candles.

"Need any help?" Inuyasha asked, making his way over to her.

She turned and smiled at him. "Nope. I'll let these dry and fix them in the morning. What do you want to do, watch TV?"

Hesitating, knowing that she wouldn't take it well, Inuyasha spoke slowly. "I have to...leave and get some stuff before the FBI does. It will make our lives easier."

Instantly, her lips curled and he noticed that she biting them again, deep in thought. She grip tightened on the counter and then relaxed over and over again, as if she was debating the pros and cons. "How long will you be gone?"

Inuyasha winced. "All night and most of the morning. I'll probably be home before noon though."

"Noon?" Kagome asked, her voice starting to sound desperate. "What if someone finds us – me?"

"They won't, I promise," Inuyasha said softly. She looked really fragile and he wasn't sure if leaving tonight was the best option anymore.

"O-okay," Kagome stumbled, turning around and rinsing out the sink.

That was it?

"Are you sure?" Inuyasha asked, dumbfounded. He was sure that she was going to make a scene, freaking out about something or another. He wouldn't have blamed her for doing so – it just would've made his life more difficult.

Kagome nodded, trying not to do something stupid, like cry. She knew that she was just mentally breaking down. She was alone now, and she couldn't do anything about it. Worst of all, Inuyasha was brought down with her. She had to suck it up and stop being a baby. If he had a job to do, he would have to do it. She couldn't stop him since it would just make things worse. Kagome had no one, but if she at least tried to understand him, maybe she'd have one person willingly on her side through the whole ordeal.

"Are you really, really sure?" he probed.

Kagome laughed slightly and turned to face him. "Yeah, I'm sure. You have work to do. I'm just not comfortable being in a strange place alone, but I'll deal."

Inuyasha never thought of it that way. "Really?"

Kagome sighed. "Just go." She turned away from him and went to the living room. He listened as the channels were changing, the different choppy noises as she flipped from channel to channel. "I'll be fine!" she called out, realizing that he hadn't moved.

Inuyasha went back to his room, his head spinning in confusion about the woman in his living room. He changed into different clothes and grabbed his car keys. He followed the hallway down to the front room and put on his shoes. Just as he was at the door, the choppy channel changing noise stopped.

_Please don't leave me!_ The sound stopped him. Was that her or the TV? He thought about it for a moment, listening as the deep music lulled and then finally, a deep booming noise answered.

"The TV, thank god," Inuyasha murmured. He wasn't sure if he could leave her if she said that. What the hell was this woman doing to him? He turned the door knob.

_But I love you! Only you! If you go, surely my heart would break!_

Inuyasha slid out of his shoes, threw the keys on the little table beside the door and rushed to the living room. Only when he entered the kitchen did he slow down, sauntering casually into the room that Kagome lay in. She was sprawled out on the couch, her head tilted so that she could watch the television. The throw-blanket covered her and while her makeup was a bit runny and her hair a little too wild, she looked absolutely, down-right sexy.

He should have left.

"Aren't you going?" Kagome asked, raising a brow at him. "I was just getting comfortable."

"Good," Inuyasha said, not answering her question but rather her statement.

"Did you even hear me?" she asked, raising her head to look at him as he sat down on the recliner beside the couch.

"What are we watching?" Inuyasha asked, putting his hands behind his head.

"_The Blind and the Wicked_," Kagome answered, the smile growing on her face.

Inuyasha cursed, not at the soap opera, but himself. He really, really should have left.

* * *

The woman watched from the window, her body perched delicately on a tree branch as the cold wind brushed through her. _So that's where they were hiding out_. She had followed them, and it hadn't been an easy task. That FBI agent was reckless on the road, not to mention a first class speeder. She had fallen behind quite a few times, trying to make sure that he didn't notice her car and that she didn't get pulled over by police. When they stopped in the small town, she watched as Kagome Higurashi, her target, shopped. The FBI agent, an Inuyasha Taisho, had gone to get groceries. It didn't take either of them long, and she remembered how she ducked her head so fast when Inuyasha's gaze moved over her car. It had been damn close.

The breeze bit at her again, and she clamped her mouth shut. She would go find a place to stay. Her boss had made it clear that she didn't want Kagome killed – yet. She would watch the car to make sure it didn't leave the driveway, and occasionally she would check through the windows, but there was no reason to continue to watch them bicker.

They were like a fucking old married couple.

* * *

The Panther Gang, although ruthless, were not the smartest bunch of people around. They were a group of four: Toran (the leader), Karan, Shunran and the only male, Shuran. Together, they created the most deadly gang out in Coral. It was their place, and no one dared to take it from them.

Despite the fact that they killed without mercy, when it came to _planning_ a death, they were stumped. Kagome Higurashi, that stupid famous reporter for RCN News, had outted them. They thought they had broken all of their ties, but obviously, that bastard Naraku had given them away to cut a deal. Asshole. They would have to kill him too.

But in the meanwhile, they needed to silence the reporter, in case she spoke about them again. They had planted the bomb in her purse, waiting until she was in her car or in a building or_whatever_ so she could blow herself up. But of course, as fate would have it, she would forget her fucking purse and then blow up a _police building_. See? Life didn't get any easier.

"We need to kill her!" Toran shouted, looking around the room. "What are we going to do?"

"I think we need to figure out where she is first," Karan snapped, rolling her eyes at Toran.

"Are you suffering from PMS again, Toran?" Shuran asked, his deep voice startling all three women in the room with him.

"Fuck my life," Toran sighed.

* * *

Bankotsu Takeshi looked around the room. His brothers sat around a large table, with him sitting at the head. All of them were well dressed, and although they were "brothers", none of them looked the same.

"My source," Bankotsu started slowly, "tells me that Higurashi is staying at a cottage with FBI Special Agent Inuyasha Taisho."

"So we kill them both!" the stockier brother, Ginkotsu announced. Bankotsu watched the greed and blood-lust in his eyes.

"No," Jakotsu disagreed, shaking his head. "We can't kill them both. It will look too suspicious. And having the charge of an FBI agent up our asses is the _last_ thing we want. Besides, he's hot."

The brothers chose to ignore the last statement.

"So we kill the girl," Bankotsu concluded, looking for any signs of hesitation around the room. When he found none, he slapped his hand down on the table. "Tomorrow morning we'll send the boys to get her. Since she's with the agent, we'll make it look like a lover's spat went wrong. Apparently, he's already being accused. Why not add to the fire and put another murder charge on his head?"

The brothers laughed and grinned wickedly at themselves.

* * *

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Am I updating too quickly?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Eight_

* * *

Kaguya frowned at the pile of papers in front of her. She had just arrived at work, the first person as always, and when she entered her large, private, _locked_ office, a pile of papers awaited her. Something was wrong. Slowly closing the door, Kaguya watched the papers as if they could jump at her at any moment. It was startling, the feeling of being unnerved. Kaguya Ohta wasn't familiar to the feeling and she didn't want to be. She walked towards her desk and studied the small block print on a post-it note on the very top. It read words that she wished never existed. _I know what you did._

Shaking, Kaguya looked around the office, wondering how the hell anyone could get into it. Those papers weren't there when she left late last night and she had locked everything up tight. It was still locked when she arrived because she needed the key to get in. It didn't make sense. It was coming back to haunt her. The people she killed... She could see the blood dripping down them, their life force leaving their eyes as they died. She would never forget. The blood would never leave her hands.

Her hands wouldn't hold steady as she bent down to grab the papers. She sorted through them, flipping the pages as more and more detailed information came to light. They were copies – it was stated on every page. And these papers meant life or death for her. The final page, a picture of a dead man in vivid colour, held another post-it note with block letters. _We'll call you._

Kaguya sat down in her leather chair, realizing that she could no longer stand up. This was bad. This was very bad. Taking a deep breath, the businesswoman picked up the phone and called the only person she could think of.

* * *

The morning sunlight streamed through the tattered curtains and woke Kagome from her deep sleep. She couldn't remember for a moment where she was, and in a moment of startling fear, she grasped the sheets and looked around the room, her eyes searching every inch for signs of malice. She didn't find any of course, it was just her overactive imagination. Slowly, the day before filtered into her mind, reminding her of where she was and the predicament she was in.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called, but didn't get a response. She assumed that he had left already, since he hadn't last night. Getting out of bed and changing into a pair of jeans, tank top and sweater, Kagome then went to the bathroom to freshen up. It only took her a few moments and when that was done, she walked into the kitchen, wondering what the hell she was going to do.

It was ten in the morning, which gave her about another two hours before Inuyasha was due to arrive. She searched around the kitchen, desperately looking for something to entertain her or keep her mind busy. Last night's dishes that were dried in the sink gave her immediate salvage, and she put them all away. Next, she cleaned, washing every visible surface to get rid of all the dust. She cleaned the entire house. That only kept her amused for half an hour though. Kagome sighed. "This really sucks."

And that's when she heard it. It was so quiet at first she thought it was her overactive imagination again. It sounded like the creaking of a floorboard, a sound that was only made by stepping on it. Kagome carefully put the cleaners she had used away in the cupboard, looking around with her eyes to see if there was an intruder.

There couldn't be. She was going insane, she had to be. No one was there; Inuyasha promised her that they wouldn't be found. They wouldn't be found. _Right_?

She just couldn't take the chance.

The moment she shut the cupboard doors, Kagome made a run for it, feeling in her gut that something was terribly, terribly wrong. The hairs on the back of her neck stood and it was the primal fight or flight reaction. Kagome knew she wasn't strong enough to take on a probable male attacker, especially one with a weapon. There was no possible way to win a fight – so she ran. She made it to the door, not even bothering to get her shoes as she pushed down on the door handle and shoved her body forwards.

Her head smashed into the thick wooden door, her head spinning, and vaguely she realized it was locked. Inuyasha must've locked it behind him – another valid reason as to why no one would be there. But she knew. Someone was in the cabin. She wasn't alone.

Fiddling with the lock, Kagome sighed in relief as she heard the click and she pressed down on the door handle to escape.

"Not so fast there missy," a male voice purred wickedly in her ear. She could practically hear the grin that crossed his features, his hot breath tickling her neck. Kagome clawed at him, raking her hands over what felt like a mask. She stomped, kicked and screamed as long as her lungs would allow her to, but it was no use. "Oh come on, sweetheart," the attacker cooed, his leather gloved hand caressing her face with an almost gentle quality.

Kagome couldn't remember ever being so scared in her entire life. The bomb didn't even compare to this. She could hear her blood rushing rapidly through her veins, her heart pounding in her chest, the laboured breaths that escaped her lips. She looked around the room, desperate to find something – _anything_ – that could help her to bring him down.

"Let's go back to your bedroom, shall we?"

Kagome let out another scream, but the glove quickly smashed into her face, shooting knives of pain as her nose cringed. The leather pressed against her and Kagome started to panic. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe... She was going to die.

Hot tears poured down her pale face and she fought desperately, trying to shake his hand off of her face. His hand was too tightly pressed. Oxygen wasn't getting to through to her and her heart pounded faster and faster and faster until she didn't think she could take much more.

"You scream again, and I'll make sure you suffocate to death," the man hissed, the threat all too real. She nodded, crying, praying that this would end soon. And just when she thought she was going to pass out, the glove released her nose and mouth and she could breathe. Kagome took in several deep gulps of air, trying to get as much of it as possible. Her lungs burned painfully and it seemed that with every breath she took, it hurt more and more.

"Please, don't hurt me. An FBI agent lives here. He's coming back and he'll find you and kill you. Please, just go. I won't say a thing – I swear, I won't–"

"Shut the _fuck_ up!" her attacker roared, silencing Kagome into tiny pathetic whimpers. She was a reporter that was framed because of a big misunderstanding. If she knew that this was going to happen, she would've turned herself in and rotted in jail for the rest of her life. She didn't want to die, not yet. "I know the FBI agent isn't here, sweetheart; that's the plan. You had sex with him last night, I know."

Kagome's body was jerked forward painfully, her arms pinned behind her back. She could feel cool metal at the back of her head, and she didn't have to think twice about what that could be. They were walking down the hall towards the bedrooms. "I didn't," Kagome murmured, almost too afraid to speak. "I would never have–"

"I said _shut the fuck up_!"

Her entire body trembled, her knees almost too weak to hold her up. She was a reporter, not a field agent. She wasn't cut out to win against attackers or think quickly when at gunpoint. She didn't know what to do. All she could think of were Sango and Miroku, her two best friends. They wouldn't ever know what happened to her. Her family was all gone, so at least they didn't have to bear with the pain of her loss.

"You had sex with Mr. FBI last night," the man purred, his voice sounding almost excited as he told the lie. "Which one is your bedroom?" he asked. Kagome nodded her head in the direction of the bedroom she had slept in last night.

"And Mr. FBI's?" Kagome nodded at his too.

The attacker's breath poured like lava on her neck and she heard him laugh darkly. "Well, in we go then," he exclaimed, and shoved her in the direction of Inuyasha's room.

* * *

Tekkei Shimazu stood at the bottom of the driveway with a very confused look on her face. There was no car and the cabin looked abandoned. She was positive though, damned sure, that Inuyasha Taisho was still there. Something in her gut told her that they hadn't left yet. She watched the news last night and she was startled to see the young woman, Kagome Higurashi, and Inuyasha on a wanted suspects list. She went over to the cabin to see what it was all about. She was worried for their safety and wanted to see if she could help in any way. Tekkei owed Izayoi that much.

Pulling out her cell phone, something she hated with a passion, she squinted at the screen for a long while before finally finding the contact that she wanted. A long time before, Izayoi had giving her Inuyasha's cell phone number in case of an emergency. She had only used it once before, when the young maiden had passed, and even though this wasn't an emergency, she just wanted to make sure.

A couple rings later and Tekkei sighed in relief when she heard the young man's voice on the other end. "Inuyasha? It's Tekkei, your mother's old friend. How are you?"

"_Fine_," came Inuyasha's response. "_Is something wrong_?"

"Well I saw the television last night mister and I wanted to know what was going on with you and that pretty little lady. You didn't get her messed up in this, did you?"

Inuyasha grumbled on the other end, something miserable about it being the other way around. "_Thanks for your concern, but I've got it handled_."

Tekkei scoffed. "Young man, I doubt that. Is Kagome with you?"

There was a momentary pause. "_No. Why? Isn't she there at the house_?"

"The curtains are open but the cabin's completely dark and I can't see a soul inside," she answered, shrugging. "Do you want me to go in and see if she's there?"

Another long pause. "_No, I'll be there in a few moments. She probably just went for a jog or something. I didn't give her a key so she wouldn't have locked it. Just go back and I'll give you a call tomorrow. We can meet if you want and I'll explain everything._"

"If you say so," Tekkei murmured, but she looked up at the windows, suddenly certain she saw something move – a shadow. She searched for a long while after, trying to see if anything else moved but nothing did. It was her imagination playing tricks on her probably.

"_I'll talk to you tomorrow then_," Inuyasha said briefly, before saying goodbye and hanging up. That man seemed way too calm considering his current predicament, but Tekkei didn't think much more about it. She sighed, took one last look at the window and then started back towards her car.

If only she knew.

* * *

Inuyasha threw his cell phone so hard on Kagome's dashboard, that he was sure he left a dent. Not that he gave a fuck.

Yeah, he got all of the information. He managed to get forensic reports and the preliminary report without being followed or attacked or questioned. He was now on his way back to the cabin, but that's when Tekkei called.

She had unnerved him. She was probably blind, but there was a sick feeling rolling around in his stomach and he didn't like it one bit. Something was going horribly wrong and it would be his fault if Kagome got hurt. "I'm coming Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, forcing his foot further on the gas pedal as he far surpassed the speed limit on the highway. He just prayed that a cop wouldn't be waiting with radar.

In his mind, he raced through all of the possibilities. Technically, she could be out running. He met her in a gym, for goodness sake. However, given the trouble they were in, he doubted it. Kagome could just be watching television, but Tekkei said she didn't see any lights – but the curtains were drawn. So she had been up at one point.

Shaking his head as the terrible feeling continued to roll, Inuyasha pushed the car a little harder, listening to the little engine as it roared to life. He still had a good forty minutes, unless he went fifty kilometres over and made it there in half an hour or less.

It felt like an eternity, driving past cars he swore he had already passed and seeing signs that meant he was getting closer – but not close _enough_. Was she okay? Did someone manage to find them? Inuyasha shook his head. It wasn't possible, especially for the FBI. They were looking for him, he knew, but he also knew their procedures, their regulations, the stuff that they had to go through with warrants and subpoenas... It would take them a long time, if nothing else.

But that meant shit for Kagome's current situation. She was stupid and he knew it. Who in their right mind would call out any gang – especially the Panther gang, who ruled most of Coral – or the mafia? Was she insane? No, just naive.

In turn, that meant they were in way over their heads. If the gang found them, there was a good chance that they'd be dead. If the mafia found them, they _would_ be dead. He couldn't see the gang having a solid connection but the mafia... It was more than likely.

Inuyasha growled and stomped on the gas once more, realizing that he was slowing his speed of one-hundred and fifty kilometres to only one-twenty. The engine probably needed a break. If it blew up, he'd buy her another one but in the mean time, he had to make sure she was safe.

The small town near his cabin was soon in his sights and only a bit longer until he saw the building in front of him. The minute he passed by it, he knew something was wrong. Parking by the curb, Inuyasha slowly made his way to the side of the cabin, watching the open windows to see if anyone could be spotted. There was no one and for a second, Inuyasha doubted anything being wrong at all.

Fuck that old woman and her worry. It had to be his mind–

And that's when he saw him. A tall man with a ski mask came near the window, opening his freezer and pulling out the ice box. What the hell? Was he making drinks for himself? Or was he freezing Kagome's dead body?

Immediately, Inuyasha rushed to the small shed that was near the back, his goal the Smith and Wesson that was in a box hidden at the corner. He checked it, loaded the bullets and when it was ready, thumbed off the safety. He held it like he was trained to, and slowly he crept his way to the back entrance. No one was there, but the door was locked. Carefully, he unlocked it and slid his way through, making sure to remain silent. He stood there, listening around the cabin for any sort of movement. He could hear Kagome's cries, the sound of splashing water as she pleaded with someone to let her out.

Inuyasha tiptoed to the hallway, listening to the sounds of the intruder from his bedroom. He paused, only for a moment before putting himself in stance with his gun ready in front of him. The bedroom was empty – but not the adjoining bathroom. The door was shut, but light filtered through the cracks. He could hear the man still talking, going on a slow, torturous rant of how much he was going to love killing her. She just had to wait another half-hour and it would be over.

"Wait for me sweetheart," the dark voice cooed. "I'll be right back."

_Fuck that_, Inuyasha thought, waiting with his gun pointed at the door. He just had to wait. The door knob turned and a man wearing all black with a matching ski mask stepped out, his face turned away into the bathroom. It only took him a second, however, to realize that he was no longer alone but before he could even finish cursing, Inuyasha blew him away.

Kagome screamed, the terror clear in her voice as she cried. Inuyasha instantly rushed to the dead man, staring at the hole perfectly centred on his forehead and grabbing the gun that was held at his waist.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha called, pushing the slightly ajar door and stepping into a picture he would assume would haunt him for weeks.

She was sobbing, her eyes bloodshot red while her teeth chattered. Her hair was drenched as she lay in the bathtub, chained by her neck, wrists and ankles. She screamed incoherent words as Inuyasha took the sight in, staring at her bloodied wrists, her blue lips, fingers and toes and the million ice cubes that covered her naked body in what he guessed was already freezing cold water.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shrieked, her body shaking uncontrollably so his name came out all wrong.

"Hold on, Kagome. Just a bit longer," Inuyasha murmured soothingly, trying to assess the situation. The bathtub was something from an older period, where it didn't sit in the ground but above it on feet. The chains that were wrapped around her were all secured tightly underneath. Inuyasha fumbled frantically for a few moments, listening to the sobs that wracked her chest as she shivered in her frozen state. Her entire body was a sick colour and her temperature had to be dangerously low.

The chains broke free and Inuyasha took only moments to unwrap them from her neck, wrists and ankles before he hauled her up into his arms and hugged her to his body. "It's going to be okay, Kagome," he whispered, trying not to sound as shaken as he was. He carried her to the living room and turned on the gas fireplace, trying to run through his mind all of the things he had to do. He grabbed as many blankets as he could find and covered her completely, trying not to look at the places of her body he shouldn't, and then carried her over to the couch. Instantly he poured water into the kettle and made her tea, making sure it was only luke warm before giving it to her.

Kagome didn't talk. She didn't utter one word. The only sounds she made were quiet sobs that slowly disappeared the longer she remained under the blankets. Inuyasha watched her, waited for her to finish her tea before setting the mug down and sitting on the couch near her.

"Kagome, I'm...sorry," Inuyasha finished lamely, not even sure how he could ever make it up to her.

"He had a plan," Kagome muttered, her voice shaking. "He froze me because he needed my body temperature to be cooler so I would throw the medical examiner's timing a bit. He... He was going to shoot me in your bed, make us look like lovers and put another death on your already long list of crimes." She trailed off.

"I'll be right back Kagome," Inuyasha quietly soothed, turning on the television and finding another rerun of _The Blind and the Wicked_. He had to get rid of the body, clean up the blood and bury the bastard. He had to clean the bathroom, ruin the chains and unplug the bathtub. He did so quickly, trying to finish the job so he could help Kagome. It took him almost two hours, and by then it was mid-afternoon. Returning to the kitchen, she didn't even ask where he had been or what he had been doing. She must've known.

"You need food," Inuyasha said, more to himself than her as he found a can of soup and put it on. He waited until the temperature was just barely hot before bringing it to her, making a bowl for himself as well. He helped her sit up on the couch, and actually fed her the soup so she wouldn't put any part of her body out of the blankets.

During all of this, Kagome said nothing.

"Move over," Inuyasha ordered lightly, shifting his body so he was lying along the back of the couch and she was in front of him. "You getting any warmer?"

"Yeah," Kagome mumbled; the first thing he'd heard come out of her mouth since she explained what happened. "Thank you."

"I'm never going to leave you again," Inuyasha vowed, wrapping an arm around her thin frame to help her warm up. She only nodded and for the rest of the day, they just laid there on the couch. Dinner time slowly approached and Inuyasha made them food again, this time getting Kagome some clothes to change into so she could eat her own meal. It was silent in the cabin, with the exception of one or two of Inuyasha's questions and Kagome's mumbles.

"I'll help you," Kagome said, standing up with her empty plate and cutlery in hand. "I need to do something."

Inuyasha gave her a once over, making sure she was no longer shaking. "You sure? You can just go and lie down on the couch while I do this. It's no problem."

"I _need_ to do something," Kagome argued, shaking her head. "I'm bored out of my mind." It was the longest sentence he had heard her use all day.

Together, they cleaned the kitchen up and Inuyasha was more than pleased at how Kagome suddenly felt up to talking. She had been way too silent for most of the day and it had unnerved him. He was used to the questioning, fiery woman that had bothered him since he met her at the gym. They went back to the couch and lay in the same position as they had been before, this time without the blankets.

"I'm okay," Kagome tried to assure him for the umpteenth time. "I'm not cold." But Inuyasha put his arm around her anyways and ignored her protests. When it was ten at night – a long day of watching television and lying around – Kagome decided it was time to go to bed.

"I'll be up," Inuyasha called, watching her as she left the living room. He knew, without a doubt, that he wouldn't get a wink of sleep. He was going to stay up all night and make sure that no one walked through those damned doors besides him again. Slowly, he made his way to the front and locked the door, making sure to lock every window and door of the cabin before heading back to the couch.

Kagome exited the bathroom just as he was entering the living room. "Good night," she exclaimed and without waiting, opened the door to her bedroom and shut it.

Inuyasha sighed, knowing that she was probably a wreck but trying not to show it. She had been chatty enough, but he saw the look in her eyes every time they swept past the door. She was utterly, undeniably terrified.

And that's when he heard her cry out, a muffled sob escaping her lips and floating to his ears. He shot up, suddenly worried that he hadn't checked the windows in her bedroom and raced to open the door. What he saw inside was another vision he was sure to never forget.

Kagome was crumpled at the edge of the neatly made bed, tears rolling down her cheeks like a waterfall as she gazed up at him pathetically. "He _made_ my bed," she murmured over and over. "He made my _fucking bed_. So it would look like..." And then she trailed off, breaking away into nothing more than tearful sobs and choked coughs.

Inuyasha couldn't stand a woman crying. He could barely stand to be near them. He didn't know what to say or what to do or what the hell could fix it. In that moment, Inuyasha was frozen to the spot at her doorframe, watching her.

Without warning, Kagome shot up and tackled herself into him, throwing her arms around his neck and crying into his shirt. He could already feel the cotton grow wet.

"It's okay," Inuyasha soothed again and again, trying to do anything – something – to calm her down. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up, curling her in his arms and carrying to the guest bedroom. "You can stay in here. I'll move your stuff over–"

Kagome shook her head frantically. "Please, don't go," she choked out, her eyes trying to bat away the water in her lashes. "Please don't go."

Inuyasha looked into her brown eyes, wondering if this would make it up to her. If she wanted him there, then he would be there. He had to be. Cursing slightly, Inuyasha curled into the bed beside her, watching her as she wrapped her arms around him tight and continued to cry. He stroked her hair, feeling useless and confused as he whispered–

"It's going to be okay."

* * *

**Oh the sorrow. Well readers, we may have problems. I'm leaving for university in ten days and with my program, it's going to seriously kill my writing time. I'm planning on writing chapters upon chapters ahead of time, but this story is going to be long and my updates may soon be not so frequent. I will try though, I promise. For those of you that read Ordinary, the story is already complete so updates will not be a problem there and I _should_ be finished with Beauty Killed the Beast as well. Should.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry this took so long. Frosh week is pretty sick.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Nine_

* * *

Inuyasha cursed loudly when his cell phone rang, checking the ID first to make sure it wasn't anyone he didn't want to talk to before answering. Running into the kitchen so not to wake up Kagome's sleeping form, Inuyasha gently shut the door and prayed that she was still unconscious. She'd had a rough night. He answered the phone in a gruff tone, not really making any coherent word.

"_It's Shippo_," the familiar voice said instantly from the other line. "_I'm on a pay phone and no one knows where I am. Are you okay_?"

"No," Inuyasha growled. "I'm a wanted suspect for something I didn't do. Kagome has had several death threats and I've killed someone. Please, tell me something good."

Shippo gave a low whistle. "_Look. I'm really not supposed to be doing this but I can't leave you hanging. I've got an ID on our John Doe. Have you looked at the preliminary and forensic reports yet_?"

"How'd you–"

"_Let's just say that Bokuseno was not happy to find that you'd already gotten your hands on them. I got a bit of a slap on the wrist for slowing them down though._"

"Atta boy," Inuyasha murmured. "I haven't looked at them yet. I kind of had a killer to deal with. Give me what you've got and I'll piece it together later."

"_Okay. The name is Gatenmaru Koyasu. I wasn't able to get much, other than he was once a cop. He was discharged and arrested after he was busted for dealing under the table. He got out a year ago._"

"Any idea on the work he does?"

"_He wasn't employed according to the government_."

"Which just means he wasn't employed legally," Inuyasha hissed. "Anything else?"

"_Yeah_," Shippo said. "_I managed to get the ballistics report on the gun used to execute Gatenmaru. It's not in your files._"

"Then how the hell did you get it?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes widening.

"_My career as a federal agent is going down the drain, thanks to you_," Shippo muttered. "_Anyways, it's a forty-five calibre bullet, and striations match that of an automatic G21 standard Glock._"

"If you make it out of this still an agent, you're going to make a damn good one," Inuyasha admitted.

"_Was that...a compliment_?"

"Inuyasha?" a pretty feminine voice called from behind, forcing Inuyasha to whirl around and come face to face with a bed-headed, sexy Kagome. She probably didn't know it either, which must made it sexier. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

She was panicking, he could tell, but the only thing that was really crossing his mind was just how delicious she looked.

"_Inuyasha_?" Shippo called from the other end.

"Can't talk, bye," Inuyasha snapped, shutting the phone after hearing a brief 'call you tomorrow'.

He took her in, looking at every inch of her body. Her tank top was matted around her, wrinkled badly from her restless sleep. In the middle of the night she had obviously removed her bra and jeans, so she was standing before him in a hot little thong, a tank top that should've covered a lot less in his opinion with hair that was wild, tangled and reminding him desperately of sex.

"Everything is fine," Inuyasha soothed, forcefully pushing the thoughts out of his head. This was wrong. He couldn't do that. Turning away, he covered his face with his hand, blocking his view of her so that she would think he was being a gentleman and so he could try to get the image of her out of his head so he didn't get a hard on. "Fuck," he whispered. Life just kept getting better. "Shippo just called."

"Oh," she murmured and then she continued with another small gasp, realizing her attire in front of him. "I'm going to go back to the room," she told him, stepping away from the doorframe.

When he thought she was gone Inuyasha turned back around, only to see her head peering around the trim. "What?" he asked. "Are _you_ okay?"

She bit her lip for a moment, a habit that he was already finding quite annoying and somewhat sexy. Finally she sighed and shrugged. "Are you going to come back to bed?"

The meaning that he could put in those words was almost too much for him to handle in the morning. It was nearly nine am and he hadn't had coffee and he was stressed from the case. "Yes, I will."

Giving a small smile, Kagome finally disappeared.

"Kill me now," Inuyasha groaned, placing his cell phone on the kitchen counter, shaking his head fiercely and walking towards the bedroom he now considered his personal place of damnation.

* * *

Naraku Morikawa almost laughed through his oath to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. The people around him were just so _stupid_. Who would actually follow that oath? He was being interrogated by a young, snappy woman who obviously wanted to make a big name for herself. She was tall and leggy, something that Naraku obviously appreciated, and her suit jacket and long black skirt tugged around her gently.

"Did you or did you not hire Kikyo Hidaka on the night of February14th, 2008?" she asked; her voice firm and perfectly enunciated.

"I did."

"And you killed her," the prosecutor went on, nodding her head slightly as she faced the jury.

"Objection," Moryomaru Asato, Naraku's lawyer, said; his tone dry as he looked at the judge. "Accusations with no proof of the matter." And so the trial went on.

Naraku did as he was told. He listened intently and answered all the female's questions properly, all the while not ever giving a final answer. She would ask about his personal life and he would say that it was fine, normal – but his version of normal was hardly normal at all.

"What I don't understand, Mr. Morikawa," the young prosecutor snapped as she faced him directly, "is _why_ you would bring a hooker to your warehouse. Aren't you just begging to be found?"

Moryomaru stood up again, objecting to her questions. The judge waved it accordingly, but Naraku merely laughed. "You're a feisty one, I see. Well, let me make this clear. I did not kill Kikyo Hidaka. Out of curiosity, however, I'll answer your question. _If_ I had killed her, it would have most likely been because of the fact she stumbled upon something that shouldn't have been stumbled upon, correct?"

Moryomaru rambled off demands but Naraku merely rolled his eyes and continued. "_If_ I had purchased a hooker of such disgusting low-class, I surely wouldn't take her to my bedroom. Have you seen it? It's better than five stars. It's better than a fucking palace. Hookers don't belong in there because hookers are cheap whores that are paid to suck you off and fuck you good.

"Therefore, _if_ I purchased a hooker, I would take her to a place that didn't mean all the much and that didn't make her stand out – like a dirty, abandoned warehouse. _If_ she happened to stumble upon something that shouldn't have been, then I would've killed her too.

"The whole idea of hacking her body up into bits though... That's pretty personal, I'd say. Maybe she was a regular hooker for him? I had never seen her before that night, after I purchased her. I did take her to a hotel, but hardly anything worth my mansion. Regardless, chopping up a body like that is pretty intense. The cops showed me the pictures of what's left of her during interrogation. Itsy bitsy pieces she's in. The killer must've really been mad about her finding out about his warehouse and his drug selling. He must've wanted to kill her so bad that it hurt. Honestly, I'm glad he killed her – that's one less dirty ho on the streets. But I didn't. I'm just telling you how it probably was."

* * *

"_This service is currently unavailable. Please call_–"

"God-fucking-dammit!" Sango screamed, throwing her cell phone as hard as she could on her bedspread. The black phone bounced not once, but twice on the slippery sheets before falling to the hardwood floor and crashing.

Miroku entered the room, his baby blue eyes searching hers as he tried to reach out for her. "Sango, are you okay?"

Hot tears poured down her face as she crumpled into a pile on the floor, her sweater enveloping her body as she sobbed. "I can't find her Miroku! What if she's dead?"

Miroku ran to the floor, wrapping his arms around her tightly and soothing her with soft whispers and feathery touches. He held onto her tight, rocking her body back and forth until her sobs became whimpers, and no longer did she need support to hold her up. "She's not dead," he murmured softly, petting the wet bangs from her face. "Kagome couldn't be dead."

"She's not answering her phone!" Sango cried. "And she was at that station that blew up! What if she was caught in it?"

Miroku hushed her until she was quiet again, waiting patiently for the storm to pass. "I checked the parking lot. There was only one car that wasn't accounted for and it was a Dodge Nitro. Kagome's two-seater was gone and you're positive she drove, right?"

Sango nodded, wiping at the tears that poured down her face to no avail. "I just can't shake the feeling... Something's really wrong here Miroku."

"I know," he soothed, rubbing her back in slow circles. "I know."

"She wouldn't just leave us without warning."

Miroku held onto her tight, feeling the rise and fall of her chest against his as she slowed her breathing into even gasps. When she seemed to be calm, he eased the pressure on her back, pulling her away from him so he could see her face. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

Sango's face scrunched up, her lower lip pouting. "This is not the time for you to be hitting on–" _Slap_.

"I'm going to _kill you_!" Sango screamed, lunging at him and knocking him to the floor. "Miroku Tsujitani I swear to all that is holy that I will strangle you to death!"

Suddenly, he started laughing, his hands trailing down her thighs and rubbing slow circles along her knees. "There she is."

Sango seethed, but felt the anger in her slowly ebb away as she stared at his blue eyes. "You're impossible," she muttered, rolling her eyes and getting off of him. She stood up and walked to her phone, picking it up and sighing. "She's in trouble, Miroku. We both saw that message on the television. Kagome's in over her head. Do you think she's running?"

"Kagome wouldn't run," Miroku answered truthfully, coming up behind her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "She had no part in it, I'm sure."

Sango let out a breath of relief and sank down to the mattress beside her. Miroku joined her right after, wrapping his arm around her small body. For the longest moment, they relaxed in silence, feeling each other's presence and relishing in the peace that they shared.

"Sango..." Miroku started off hesitantly, shifting slightly on the mattress. "About the night of my party..."

"It's okay," she murmured, turning her head around to face him. "There was nothing wrong about it."

"I was dru–"

"No excuses," Sango interrupted. "We're adults. It was a crazy party, we were drinking some pretty hefty shots after the police left, and it led to sex. It's okay Miroku, really. You didn't do anything wrong."

"But–"

Sango sighed in exasperation and turned her body to face him completely. The glare in her eyes told Miroku that he was ruining a perfectly good moment. "I wanted it to," she whispered out quietly, too embarrassed to say it too loud.

Miroku blinked. Sango blushed.

"You're beautiful," he whispered and before he could do anything, Sango slapped him on the head with a growl ripped from her throat.

"Touch my ass, _one more time_, and I _will_ _murder you_."

* * *

"This is _delicious_," Inuyasha garbled through chunks of beef, lettuce, salsa and an assortment of other foods. Kagome had made another meal and Inuyasha was already on his fifth serving. She thought it was about time to cut him loose.

"Thank you, but aren't you _full_?" she asked, staring at him with wide eyes. "Where does it all go?"

Inuyasha spat out a few words that Kagome could only assume meant "I don't know". He wasn't exactly intelligible when he was eating so instead, she gathered the last of the plates and cups to clean up.

"Hey!" her biggest fan shouted, growling at her. "I wasn't finished with that!"

"There's nothing left but _CRUMBS_," Kagome exclaimed, giving him a pointed glare. "There's nothing to eat!"

Inuyasha crossed his arms and muttered a "feh", forcing Kagome to roll her eyes and continue towards the kitchen. She rinsed off the plates she had before coming back, grabbing what was leftover. It was then that Inuyasha, who was already relaxing in the living room, turned up the television and alerted Kagome to the news.

_Naraku's plea of innocence was no surprise; however, his following statements were more than startling. He explained why he thought the murder occurred and how it was done. It sounded like a confession to most, only he continually stated no part in it. His trial continues Saturday, January seventh, and as always, we'll keep you updated. Back to you, Sonya._

The screen that was once showing a pretty female reporter then turned to a dark-haired, serious woman sitting at a desk, her small smile nothing compared to her heavy eyes. _In other news, FBI officials have finally located the origins of the bomb that destroyed the Michael Fenway building on January third. Forensics was able to trace the products of the bomb. The wires and tools used were key features of a homemade solution, leading officials to be looking for a possible arsonist. Although Special Agent Suzuki spared little to comment, they aren't ruling out an act of terrorism._

_The key piece of evidence was that the bomb originated from a cloth bag or suitcase. Two key suspects –FBI Special Agent Inuyasha Taisho and RCN reporter Kagome Higurashi – are still yet to be found, both caught on video surveillance exiting the building before the explosion with suspicious activity_.

"Turn it off," Kagome begged, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "This is way too much. Suspicious activity? We were fighting!"

Instead of doing what he was told, Inuyasha just muted the sound, muttering to himself about something.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, leaving the dishes back on the table and coming to his side. "What's our next move?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "We don't have one. It's to stay here until I finish looking over all of the reports and then we'll figure something else out."

The pause last only a moment. "Don't you get it?" Kagome suddenly screamed, looking at him dead in the eyes. "Don't you see?"

Inuyasha frowned. "See what? That we're in deep shit? Yes, I do, thank you very much."

"No," Kagome sighed, "the evidence!"

"It was a bag of some sort..." And then Inuyasha's eyes grew wide as he took Kagome's ghost white face in and her shaking hands.

"Inuyasha, that bomb was meant for _me_. My purse must have had it and then I forgot it–"

"Someone was trying to kill you, again," Inuyasha murmured, finally making sense of everything. "The attack wasn't on the building, it was you. We have no way of proving that though," he continued. "If they found traces, you don't have part of the purse with you and that still puts you as a prime suspect."

"What do we do?" Kagome demanded again.

Inuyasha shook his head. "There's nothing we can do. We just have to lay low here while I try to figure things out."

"I _can't_ lay low!" Kagome cried out in exasperation. "What about my friends?"

Inuyasha looked her, the amber flickering red unnervingly. "I told you that I'll try to work something out. I will, but I need time."

Kagome gave out a choked sigh and walked back into the kitchen to clean up. She spent almost an hour in there, trying to collect her thoughts while she cleaned the dishes. Although she hated the dishes, it was a mindless task that allowed her to think clearly. And did she have things to think about.

The most immediate problem was her and Inuyasha. They fought constantly, but he was such an inconsiderate jerk! He didn't understand! She had friends that were probably worried about her, and all they knew was that she was in hiding... But he was right. There was nothing that they could do. She had already been found here. Inuyasha was probably already thinking of another place. He said he wouldn't leave her, so nothing could happen, but nothing was for sure. She could still die.

Another problem? If she was going to die – which was looking more evident every day – she did not want to die unhappy. She wanted to _do_ more. There were things she had never done in life that she wanted to do. The biggest wish was to have a family...

Kagome sighed and shook her head. She needed at least a couple years for that one, and that would only be selfish to the family left behind.

"You going to storm off every time I say something you don't like?" Inuyasha rough voice came from behind, startling her out of her thoughts. She turned around, her back pressed against the sink and shrugged.

"Maybe, but I'll try to stop."

Inuyasha raised a brow. "You'll try to stop?"

"Wouldn't it make our acquaintance a bit smoother?" Kagome asked, turning back around to finish the last few plates. "By the way, I would really recommend getting a dishwasher. I hate doing the dishes."

"We'll see," Inuyasha answered vaguely, leaning against the counter to watch her work. "So what brought on this idea of being nice?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, feeling her temper rise. "I'm always nice, you just so happen to be a dick that brings out the worst in me."

"You didn't answer my question."

"If I'm going to die, I want to die happy. I'll do whatever you need to stay alive so I can finish a few things." Kagome sighed and placed the last dish to air-dry, shaking her hands and unplugging the plug. "This is what? The second time I've been attacked? And both of the attacks were pretty intense. A bomb and a hitman are not used on people that have a chance of living."

"Don't think like that," Inuyasha barked, grabbing her arm roughly and pulling her around. "You're going to live whether you like it or not. I'm not here trying to save your sorry ass for kicks!"

"Well my sorry ass never asked for help!" Kagome yelled; her voice rising to match his. "You don't have to help if you don't want to!"

"And leave you alone to die?"

"I don't see another option! So far, it seems pretty damn inevitable."

"Stupid wench, I'm not going to let you fucking die, so drop it!" Inuyasha shouted, slamming his fist on the counter. "I don't have a fucking choice."

"Yes, you do. If you don't want to be here, go," Kagome whispered, shaking. She didn't want to yell anymore. She didn't want to fight anymore. For all she knew, she had only minutes to live. She didn't want to be fighting.

"This is _my_ place, so if anyone's leaving, it's _you_," Inuyasha shot back, his voice significantly lower but still sarcastic.

Kagome growled. "Fine! I'll go then." It was just a matter of where that terrified her.

"No, you won't!" He was raising his voice again and Kagome didn't know how much more of this – this fighting, yelling, screaming, fear – she could take.

"Then what do you want from me?" The cry wracked through her body and tears streamed down her face. "What do you want from me?" she repeated.

Inuyasha froze in place, watching the single tears that rolled down her pale face. "Stop crying." He couldn't see her like this again. Yesterday had already been too much.

"Or what?" Kagome spat, looking down at the ground. She didn't even bother to wipe her tears off of her face – only more would come.

Suddenly, and she wasn't sure when, Inuyasha's socked feet could be seen, his body close. She felt rough hands grab the bottom of her chin and yank her face up. All she could see in that moment was amber. Desperately she pulled away, leaning backwards. Inuyasha's face was so intense, his eyes glistening and his mouth so close. She felt her stomach tear up in knots, her fluttering pulse make sense out of nothing.

"Stop crying," Inuyasha repeated quietly.

Kagome bit her bottom lip. "Or what?"

It was dare and both of them knew it.

Before what was left of her common sense took over, she was picked up, rough hands snaked around her and pulling her closer to Inuyasha's hard body. His mouth was tantalizing on hers, his lips teasing a reaction out of her. Kagome wrapped hers legs around his waist, feeling the counter suddenly holding her up as Inuyasha placed her on the ledge. She kissed him like there wasn't a tomorrow, because for all she knew, there wasn't. Their tongues danced and she could feel his entire body respond to her every touch. Her fingers teased his chest, dropping to the hem of his shirt where she suddenly tugged.

Inuyasha lifted his arms, his lips still tightly pressed against hers as he continued to kiss her breathless. Her legs around him tightened and he could feel his blood rush, the instant pulling desire nagging at him to do more than just kiss her. His shirt lifted to just above his chest and he pulled away from her face to let her take it off when in that instant, reality came rushing back. Inuyasha's hungry eyes searched her own lust-filled chocolate and then they both realized exactly just what they were doing.

"Um," Inuyasha muttered, nothing really else to say.

"I'm going to dry the dishes," Kagome said quickly, dropping his shirt.

"Good idea. I'm going to...uh..."

"Park your car in the driveway," Kagome finished; her voice too high.

"Yup. Going to park my car..."

* * *

**Not even a cliffie, see? Hopefully I'll update Beauty Killed the Beast soon. I've already written about 30 percent of it.**

**Please review and tell me what you think? Constructive criticism is always welcomed.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Can it be? Yes! I updated. And I apologize. For those of you that happened to read the message in my profile, you understand my pain. For those that didn't, if I ever take longer than two weeks to update a story, check it. I usually have a reason (like a real, legitimate reason) for my lack of appearance. Beauty Killed the Beast is on its way. Still in the works but I'm hoping for Wednesday at the latest, and then Ordinary should be posted by Thursday. Don't hold me to it, but those are my goals.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Ten_

* * *

To put it simply, the rest of that night had been awkward.

Especially when it was time to say goodnight.

"So, where are you going to sleep again?" Kagome asked; her voice still too high. She hadn't been able to lower it since the little "accident" from earlier. She was a nervous, breaking mess. Not only did her life include danger, bombs, guns, knives, death and so on, it also included a _fucking_ tension between her and her hero.

All of them were bad.

Only the last one would probably kill her though.

Special Agent Inuyasha Taisho was gorgeous. She had thought it from the moment she laid eyes on his extremely sexy, taunting and yummy-delicious-scrumptious shirtless body. She felt like melting every time she thought of it. And what made it that much worse was the she almost _had_ that body. What made it a million-billion-whatever-the-fuck-_illion_ times worse than that was that she wanted that body.

And not just once.

But again and again.

Slowly, Kagome was starting to come to terms with the fact that she desperately wanted to have sex with him, and that it would be a very bad idea. She couldn't let something like what happened earlier in the kitchen ever happen again.

"Couch," Inuyasha answered simply, having chosen to stick to one-word answers since their little bout of fun.

Kagome started to feel a little guilty. "No, you can sleep in the guest bedroom. I'll go and sleep in the room you originally gave me."

Inuyasha spared a very slight glance her way before returning his attention to the papers in his hands. "No."

"Or I can take the couch?"

"No."

"Inuyasha–"

"What?"

Kagome closed her eyes, trying to control the temper that was brewing. It seemed to have gotten much worse since she came to terms with her adulterous problem. Yes, she wanted him. Yes, it would probably be a lot of fun and _really_ good. But she didn't want him just once – something that he was probably only wanting – and things like this never ended well.

Let's be real. Everyone's read the stories where the woman falls for her hero who saved her from the bullet, or the knife or the fucking mouth of a whale, _whatever_, and it **never ended well**. Never.

Only in romance/erotica tales.

So far, they hadn't had sex and they had been with each other for three days. Usually, it only took about one and a half, thereby proving that this story was not a romance/erotica story. Also, it contained a lot of potential death, which again, was not a big fancy for pure romance novels.

Kagome sighed. "Seriously Inuyasha, just because of what happened earlier does not mean we can't be civil. I'll take the bedroom you originally gave me and you can have the spare bedroom. That way, we both have beds, everyone is comfortable and neither of us are sleeping in a room where there's blood on the carpet. Good?"

"No." Inuyasha sighed nonchalantly and shifted to another page.

Kagome felt the ropes holding on to her patience start to snap methodically. "Are you even _listening_?"

"No," was the famous reply.

"Inuyasha, I swear to God, I will kill you in about five seconds if you don't start trying to pay attention and–!"

"Shh!" Inuyasha huffed out, giving her a pointed look. "I'm trying to piece together all of the reports and it's really hard when you're a) talking and b) screaming. Can we do this another time?"

And Kagome's patience exploded like fireworks.

Before Inuyasha could even turn away, Kagome lunged at him, her hands grabbing his long fistfuls of hair and forcing him sideways on the couch. She let go and slapped him three times, over and over and over, until finally Inuyasha did some technique most likely learned from FBI training and grabbed her wrists, flipping her on to her back and against his chest.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing?" Inuyasha yelled in her ear, making Kagome's temper flare even more.

"You were ignoring me!" Kagome shouted back. "I'm trying to be nice and civil so _you_ don't have to sleep on the couch but all you do is push me away!"

"Godddammit, Kagome, I'm not sleeping on the couch for no good reason!" Inuyasha growled. "If I sleep in the guest bedroom and you're in the other room, I might not hear if anyone tries to pull anything on you again. This house is well insulated and pretty damn soundproof. If I sleep on the couch, I'll be able to hear everything that's going on."

Inuyasha spat out the last sentence in a huff, taking in deep breaths as he panted in her ear, "For fuck's sake."

Kagome's body stilled. "Oh," she murmured, thinking about it for a bit in peace. "You could've told me that instead always saying 'no', you dumbass." She didn't raise her voice this time, or sound defensive. She was just stating facts like it was no big deal.

"I didn't realize I had to put everything by you," Inuyasha retorted.

Kagome rolled her eyes, sighing. She waited, taking in deep breaths and relaxing, feeling oddly comfortable on top of Inuyasha's body, although her arms were in a painful position behind her back. Expecting him to let go of her, Kagome lifted her body a little, only to realize he hadn't let her go. _Um, hello?_

She was about to say something when a very non-verbal saying made its way to her. Inuyasha was a little...turned on.

This put a couple things into perspective: a) he wanted her too; b) it was _very_ obvious; c) if she turned around, he probably wouldn't stop her; and d) if she turned around, she probably wouldn't stop, in general.

All of which were bad things because she knew him for what, three days? With a sigh, she realized she had already _gone through this_ in her head. So the big question was _now what_?

That's when she realized her arms were free. Kagome squirmed slightly, pulling her arms to the side from the back, accidentally (possibly) grinding against him as she moved. Had she done that on purpose, it would've been for experimental reasons only.

Kagome waited.

"You can go to bed, ya know," Inuyasha commented; his voice casual.

"Okay, then," Kagome said slowly, sitting up on top of him and then getting off completely. She pointedly avoided looking below his shoulders. "You sure about the couch?"

Inuyasha nodded, sitting up as well. "I have tons of shit to do, so I'll be up for a while."

"Sure, well come get me if you need anything," she said automatically, instantly regretting her words. Inuyasha could've totally taken what she said as another meaning – when it _wasn't_, by the way – but the look on his face said that he probably wasn't even paying attention to her. Kagome called out a goodnight as she walked into the guest bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Inuyasha waited for a couple minutes before he was sure she was in her room and then cursed. What the hell was he thinking, assuming practically every word that came from her mouth was an invitation? The whole writhing and grinding against his body hadn't helped him either and Inuyasha was sure that he was losing his mind.

"Fucking wench," he hissed and then looked back to the pile of papers he had been looking at before he had been attacked.

Pushing the sexy reporter out of his mind – and the fact that she was probably wearing nothing under the cotton sheets that he could so easily – he growled and grabbed the large pile.

In his hands he held several reports, all about the death of Gatenmaru Koyasu; the name Shippo had given him. First, he checked out the profile made by one of the FBI's profilers. It didn't really say much, other than it was most likely male in his mid-twenties to mid-thirties. They were most likely athletic or had a muscular build. Gatenmaru Koyasu hadn't been a small little boy. He had been huge, tall and extremely strong. He was an ex-cop for fuck's sake. He knew how to fight and disarm. It couldn't have been an armature that took care of him.

Looking at the TOX reports, Inuyasha looked at the drug charts, finding extreme levels of compounds that shouldn't be remotely extreme. Taking down notes, he studied the reports, looking at what was found in his stomach contents and his blood stream. All of it matched the disturbingly high levels from the chart.

It was _Demon X_, it had to be.

Inuyasha scowled. This case had evolved into so much more. A murder, to an act of terrorism, to a drug ring... This was getting really, really bad.

And he had to do this on his own.

Unconsciously, he turned to look at the closed door of the guest bedroom, wondering how hard it would be to sneak in.

Shaking his head, finally realizing what he was doing, Inuyasha turned back to his paper work.

Gatenmaru had been subdued by an injection of _Demon X_, most likely from a tranquilizer dart, like Jaken had said. Now he needed to find the weapon used to stab him with it.

He flipped through the forensic reports, looking for photos of the puncture wound. The diameter was clearly marked, giving him a rough size of the dart. He'd have to go out and figure out where he could find that kind of machine that shot that sized dart out. Another fun job.

This time, he'd have to bring Kagome. He was positive that she wouldn't fare well if he left. He didn't think he'd be able to get anything done if she wasn't with him either. There were too many possibilities.

Kagome had come up with a valid point. They must know where they were. They had to move on, and fairly quickly too. It was most likely the Mafia on that last attempt, and the bomb was most likely one of the gangs, but it would be only a matter of time before the FBI found them too.

Focusing back to the work at hand, Inuyasha thought back to what Shippo had said. Gatenmaru had been shot in the head execution-style. Originally, Gatenmaru went to jail for dealing drugs under the table... What if those drugs were _Demon X_? What if he owed money? Had he had clients that were a little pissed off and were now cutting their connections? Still, this was done professionally.

Speaking of professional, that's how he had to keep it with what's-her-face. He couldn't get close with her. Stupid wench. She really needed to stop lunging at him for no reason. Her attacks were getting feistier and wilder...

_Bad._

Getting up from the couch, Inuyasha made his way to the front door, checking every window down the hall. Kagome was probably sleeping, and he needed to make sure that everything was one-hundred percent safe. At the front door, Inuyasha looked out the screen, barely able to see Kagome's two-door in the driveway since it was so dark.

Slamming the heavy wood door to cover the screen, Inuyasha shook his head and locked it.

Fucking car. He shouldn't have had to park it.

* * *

When Kagome woke up the next morning, she felt extremely refreshed.

Her night's sleep had been satisfying and she stretched lazily across the bed, taking up every inch. She relaxed for a moment afterwards, soaking up the feeling of complete warmth. She hadn't felt this content for a long time, her lazing around on the soft sheets blocking out all of the memories of her terrible situation.

A loud, obnoxious knocking on the door disturbed all of that.

"Kagome, wake up!"

Kagome growled slightly, frowning while she stretched on the mattress. "Why?"

"Because we have to go. I need to check out a lead and I'm not leaving you alone again, so hurry your ass up."

"Chill out," Kagome muttered, rolling from the bed sheets and grabbing some clothes she had picked out for herself the night before. She did her morning face wash routine in the bathroom and then met Inuyasha in the kitchen, where he sipped coffee.

"Took you long enough," Inuyasha mumbled. "Ready princess?"

Kagome bit her lip and ignored him, trying to figure out if this was another reaction to the previous day. Was he just being a dick to cover up the several things that happened yesterday? "Do you have any more coffee?"

He merely nodded to the coffee pot on the counter that was breathing the gorgeous smell. Kagome quickly poured herself a cup, adding milk and sugar and grimacing at the taste. She never really liked coffee but it was better than nothing in the morning.

"So where are we going?"

"A ways out," Inuyasha replied. "I need to go to a store that sells some stuff."

Kagome raised a brow. "And by stuff you mean...?"

"Tranquillizer guns."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Kagome asked, taking another sip of coffee.

Inuyasha sighed. "I wasn't always here just to take care of you. It's out of courtesy that I'm saving your walking ass, considering you're as safe as a bomb. I was originally here with my partner about a murder that was possibly linked to a hire-for-kill. A man was executed in his home."

Kagome shook her head, obviously thinking about something. She followed him to her car, glaring at him when he walked over to the driver's side door. "This is my car, you know."

"But I want to drive," he complained, frowning at her. "Women don't drive men."

"You chauvinist pig," Kagome commented. "Give me the keys, please."

"And if I don't?" Inuyasha pressed, opening the door.

"Just give me the fucking keys."

Inuyasha smirked, waved her keys in the air and then sat down in the car, igniting the engine to the life. "Buckle in, it's a long drive."

Kagome took a long swig of coffee and sighed, forcing the hot brew down her throat. Today was going to be amazing. Not.

"Hurry up and get your ass in the car!" Inuyasha yelled, revving the engine.

Kagome took a deep breath in and then let it out, casually sliding into the car and doing her seatbelt. "You're an arrogant bastard."

"And a chauvinist pig?" Inuyasha asked, mocking surprise.

She rolled her eyes and looked out the window while he pulled out of the driveway. It was silent for a long while, the heat blasting from the car the only noise. Finally, it was too much for Kagome to take.

"So, what do you know about the case?"

Inuyasha gave her a jilted look, his eyes peering at her before returning to the road. "You're not going to pull some stupid reporter stunt on me, will you?"

Kagome stared at him hard and long. "Dumb question."

"So I'm a chauvinist pig slash arrogant bastard who asks stupid questions?" Inuyasha smirked, having fun. "I don't know much," he admitted. "The only information I was able to get for myself was what I determined at the scene, the preliminary and the reports I managed to snag before the FBI – and look how that turned out. The rest I know from Shippo, who's calling me secretly with as much as he can give me. The man shot was an ex-cop named Gatenmaru Koyasu. He wasn't legally hired which means that he's still as dirty as he was before jail."

"Dirty, how?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha sighed, merging into traffic and mumbling his answer. "Dealing under the table," he said.

Kagome didn't know what it was about law enforcement officers who hated to admit the fault of one person in a group. One dirty cop didn't mean that all cops were dirty, unlike they made it seem. "You think someone killed him because of what he did 'under the table', so to speak?"

"Maybe. But this was a bit personal."

"The tranquillizer gun," Kagome responded.

Inuyasha nodded. "He was subdued with a lethal dose of _Demon X_. It just so happened that the bullet to his brain killed him first."

"Do you know anything about the gun?"

"The tranquillizer gun? No. That's why we're on this road trip," Inuyasha answered.

Kagome shook her head. "No, I mean the pistol. The bullet-to-the-brain gun."

"Oh," he said simply. "It's a G21 Glock. Standard, .45 calibre."

Kagome frowned. "Cops use those."

"Not all of them," Inuyasha argued, then hesitated. "But enough to look into it."

"What are you even hoping to learn from this tranquiller gun expedition? The type of gun used?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah. If it's a fairly rare model I might be able to get a list of buyers from the past year and cross-reference a couple things. It will give me some names at least, though it's pretty far-fetched."

"If anyone were to do something far-fetched, it would be you," Kagome said firmly.

Inuyasha whipped his head to face her. "What does that mean, wench?"

"Oh, cut the crap about the 'wench' business, please," she muttered. "I just meant that if any cop was to go out on a limb to try and solve a case, you would."

"I'm not a cop."

"Federal agent, my apologies."

"They're two totally different things."

"I realize."

"Well?"

Kagome frowned. "Well what?"

"Why are you being difficult?" Inuyasha asked.

"How am I being difficult? I just made a statement and you totally blew it out of proportion!"

"Everything is a fight with you," he retorted, rolling his eyes. "Do you _hear_ yourself yelling? Name calling?"

"I'm frustrated by you!"

"Right back at ya, wench."

"Shut up." Kagome reclined her seat and closed her eyes. "I'm going to sleep since you woke me up this morning, so shh."

"Now that's my fault too, isn't it?"

"Stop talking Inuyasha..."

"Do you just love blaming me for everything?"

"Inuyasha," Kagome said, firmly and calmly. "If you don't be quiet, so help me God, I will shoot you."

"And you're very violent, by the way. Shooting me? Lunging at my throat? None of those are good things."

Now – imagine that for the next hour, and you have their car ride.

"You can't be serious," Kagome moaned. "Will you _ever_ stop talking?"

"Am I pissing you off?" Inuyasha put on the brakes and shifted the car into Park.

"Are we there finally?" she asked, more hopeful than she had ever been.

"No, I just like parking in random parking lots for fun," Inuyasha sneered.

Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Now I'm just going to be right in there," he pointed, grabbing a couple papers. "Don't do anything stupid, will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine, just let me sleep," Kagome whined, sitting up and looking around at the parking lot. "It's so deserted here that _nothing_ can happen. Where are we anyways?"

"Far away. I'm going to leave the car running, just in case. Don't move." Inuyasha got out of the car and made his way to the building directly in front of the car several car-lengths away. Kagome watched him for a long while as his figure vanished behind tinted glass. She looked at all the signs, none of which helped her to determine where she was. Sighing, Kagome went to lie back down, hoping to get the sleep that she had wanted at the beginning of the car ride.

She hadn't even fully rested her body or closed her eyes before the cracking of glass startled her, forcing her to turn as shards of splintered crystals splashed around her face. "Oh my god," Kagome panicked, realizing instantly what was happening. Her eyes focused on the small hole at the driver's side door. A bullet hole. She was being shot at! "Oh my fucking god."

Kagome tumbled to the driver's side, hiding her body in the small hole for the feet. "What do I do? What do I do?" she screamed, wondering where in the _hell_ Inuyasha was. Was he shot at too? Was he dead? Were they both going to die?

Kagome screamed as another bullet came through the passenger window, completely shattering the glass. Another followed, this one cracking into the console right beside Kagome's face. There was little time to think. Grabbing the gear shift, she yanked at it until it was in Drive, taking her hand and working its way through behind her body to press down on the accelerator with all her might.

Her body was lurched forwards painfully as the car jumped to life, the engine loud and roaring in her ears as she waited for impact, for _something_ other than a bullet to the head. The car hit something, hard and a crashing sound could be heard on the windshield, along with an extensive string of curses.

"God fucking dammit Kagome! Fucking wench and I'm going to fucking kill this entire mother–"

Kagome felt the hole she was in crunch around her as the car adjusted to whatever she hit. Her head pounded and her vision blurred momentarily, shocking her system. Suddenly, the driver's side door was opened, and a bleeding Inuyasha glared at her. "Get out of the fucking car now!"

Kagome stared at him in horror, his face tainted with blood and his clothing soaked in it. "Oh my god, Inuyasha you're bleeding!"

"No fucking duh, Sherlock. That's what happens when you get fucking hit by the _fucking car_."

And then a bullet sliced through the air and Inuyasha spoke no more.

* * *

**Okay, so it was pretty much a cliffhanger. Well, I have to do that sometimes, don't I?**

**If I ever take forever to update, another good thing to do is review. They pop up on my computer so I'll be reminded. And I always love to know what you're thinking.**

**Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I told you so. Sorry it took so long. I will be updating much faster, promise.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Eleven_

* * *

The black bug-eyed sunglasses were probably a bad idea to wear when shooting. It's not like she didn't know that, but she had become pretty good at it. Hell, her target was a stupid little bitch that said the wrong things. She would've been easy to kill – a no brainer.

She let out a huff of frustration as she tucked her gun against her body, watching from her hiding spot the two figures by the car. In reality, Kagome Higurashi was one hard bitch to kill. The Mafia and the gangs had already failed once. Now it was her turn.

Only this time, she wasn't going to fail.

She waited, levelling her arm with her target and pulled the trigger.

* * *

"Motherfucker," Inuyasha hissed, his ear tingling painfully as the sound of the bullet whizzed by his face. That had been a close one.

Kagome screamed. "What do we do? What do I do?"

Inuyasha gave her a calm look, ducking further behind the totalled car. "You're going to stop screaming. I'm going to give us some cover and then we're going to run for it. Get into the shop and take the back door."

"What about you?" she cried, as she breathed large, uneven gasps of air. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to be right behind you. When I say now, you run for it."

Kagome nodded, swallowing hard and readying herself behind the car. It had been difficult to crawl out of her little hiding space from the crushed car, but she made it out with a few bloody scraps. Inuyasha looked so much worse though. While she waited for his signal, she studied him, looking at the large gash across his arm that soaked his sleeve with blood, the little cuts on his face from the shattered glass and his shoulder was bloody too.

_No fucking duh, Sherlock. That's what happens when you get fucking hit by the fucking car._

Even when he had been run over and shot at, he was still his little pain-in-the-ass self. Kagome sighed.

"Now!"

Kagome made a run for it while she heard a wailing of gunshots. She squinted at the pain in her ears but kept going, leaping through cut and broken glass inside the shop to the back door. She grabbed the handle and threw her body into the opening, continuing to run.

"Fuck this shit," she heard a curse mumbled behind her. Kagome turned to look around at Inuyasha who was holstering his gun under his shirt. The entire time she had been in the car with him, she hadn't even known it was there.

"Why are you putting that away?" she asked, worried. In general, she didn't like guns but she felt a lot safer if Inuyasha had a gun in his hands while they were being shot at. Like if she died, he could avenge her at the very least.

"Out of fucking bullets," Inuyasha answered, grabbing her arm and pulling her faster forwards. "Hurry up."

They sprinted for a while, ducking behind a building and taking a breather. Kagome bent over, her entire body shaking while her mind went haywire. She couldn't breathe and her lungs burned...

Her arm was grabbed forcefully again and she stumbled, trying to make her feet work to stay steady. Kagome was dragged by Inuyasha to a pickup truck parked peacefully at the side.

"What are you doing?" Kagome asked, trying to make sense of absolutely nothing.

Inuyasha ripped his gun out again and before Kagome could blink at the reaction, the butt of the gun was smashed into the driver's side window a couple of times, completely shattering the glass. Alarms went off and Inuyasha pressed the unlock button with a brisk order for her to get in.

Kagome just did as she was told, taking off her sweater and brushing at the glass on the seat. She tried her best to get the shards that sat on the driver's as well, but Inuyasha just grabbed it when the engine roared into life.

Brushing off the glass and then sitting down, Inuyasha slammed the gear shift into drive and sped off into the field in front of them.

"We're not even on a road!" Kagome exclaimed, shaking with her teeth chattering. It was cold out, she was only in a tank top now and her body wouldn't stop shaking.

"I'm not driving back towards whoever the hell was shooting at us!" Inuyasha yelled in response.

"How is this truck even going?"

"Don't ask," he replied. He finally took notice to her frigid body and swore softly, turning on the heat in the car and blasting it.

"Rub your arms," Inuyasha instructed. "You're going into shock. It's the adrenaline."

"Why were we being shot at?" Kagome asked, rubbing her body and trying to wrap herself in her own heat.

"To kill you, obviously. The only people that want me are the FBI and they wouldn't shoot first. Hopefully." Taking another look at Kagome, he quickly took of his light jacket and threw it at her. "You need to warm yourself up."

"I'm trying! Why don't you watch where you're driving?" Kagome retorted.

"I'm driving on a flat field!"

"I'm sorry but I've just been SHOT AT, and this IS NOT NORMAL!" Kagome screamed, shaking her head as if to rid the thoughts in her head. "This is _bad_!"

Inuyasha took a deep breath and held it, trying to remember the first time he had been shot it. It had been scary, but he had been trained to deal with it. Obviously, she hadn't. In the past couple days she had been witness to more horror, tragedy, torture and death than most cops see in their lifetime on the job. He had to understand that she was going through a rough time. "Just keep trying to warm yourself up, okay? Is the jacket helping?"

Kagome nodded slowly and buried her face in the jacket. It smelled like him. It took a long time, but eventually the sound of rushing blood left her ears and her heart wasn't beating a thousand times per second. She watched the scenery go by out the windshield, taking note that if they had not stolen this truck and if they weren't trespassing and if they weren't literally driving in the middle of a random field, the drive would've been enjoyable.

Suddenly, the truck bounced and the engine roared as Inuyasha started driving full-tilt into a ditch that ran alongside a side road.

"Hold on," Inuyasha muttered, twisting the steering wheel so that they managed to make it in one piece onto the dirt road. He revved the engine and then peeled out, checking his rear-view mirror in case of any problems. No one seemed to be following them.

"Where are we going now?" Kagome asked; her voice wearing thin.

Inuyasha set his jaw, knowing the argument that was coming. "Back to my place."

"Like where we came from this morning? Inuyasha, the only reason this person found us and started shooting at us was because they most likely followed us from your place!"

Inuyasha waited.

"It's suicide."

Inuyasha continued to wait, startled when there wasn't a further argument out of her. Usually, it would've taken an hour before she ran out of reasons why they shouldn't do it. "That's it?" he asked lightly, severely worried. "Are you sure you weren't shot? You're not bleeding anywhere are you?"

"Of course I'm bleeding, I was in the cubbyhole for the feet in my tiny car when I hit a solid wall," Kagome retorted. "But I'm fine. I just give up."

This was going bad.

"I mean, I'm probably going to die anyways, considering they're going to so much trouble to kill me. I mean, I don't even have evidence. Why am I such a big deal?"

Inuyasha frowned. "Say that again."

"They're going to so much trouble to kill me... I don't even have evidence... Why am I such a big deal?" The sentence came out a question, her questioning eyes piercing him at his sudden stiffness.

"Why are you such a big deal?" Inuyasha whispered to himself and then he groaned, closing his eyes briefly against the headrest. "Fuck our lives."

Kagome bit her lower lip. "What? What did you figure out?"

"This has to be much bigger than you're simple announcement on television. You're right. You're already on the run from the FBI, so why would the Mafia care? Why would any gang care? Okay, I get the bomb, but why afterwards? What's to gain? You're already going to jail and if you didn't, at least they'd know where you were so killing you would be easier then."

"So I'm dead no matter what," Kagome mused quietly, rolling her eyes.

"But," Inuyasha continued without noticing her comment, "they're still trying to kill you."

"So now what?" Kagome asked. "Should you just buy some bullets and shoot me yourself to put me out of my misery?"

Inuyasha scowled at her. "As if. We're going back to my place and then we're going to figure why the hell everyone wants you dead."

"What about Gatenmaru? The point of this deadly trip was to figure out his murder case."

"Well, firstly he's already dead, so there's not much I can do about that other than catch the killer and secondly, if my hunch in correct it's directly involved."

"How?" Kagome exclaimed. "I don't even know a Gatenmaru."

"I don't know yet, that's why it's a hunch."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Optimist."

Inuyasha thought about it for a moment and then shrugged. "Upgrade from chauvinist pig slash arrogant bastard that asks stupid questions."

Kagome gave him a dry look while he gave one of the biggest grins she had ever seen.

Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't so bad.

Maybe there was hope for her yet.

* * *

Kaguya Ohta stared at the telephone as if at any moment, it would jump out and kill her.

Two days. Two whole fucking days of what? Paranoia? Insanity?

As if the papers weren't enough to send her – the calmest, coolest, sassiest businesswoman – into a flying fit. _Gatenmaru won't die in vain_.

Who the hell would write that?

His pale, almost blue face seemed to taunt her. His eyes were closed, but there was no mistaking the large bullet hole centre on his forehead. He had been executed, she knew. She was the one that did it. She killed him.

Just then, the telephone rang, and Kaguya almost fell out of her leather chair. She gathered herself up, told herself to _get a grip_, and then checked the caller ID.

It was only Ryukotsusei. "_Bad time_?"

"Hardly," Kaguya answered smoothly, trying to calm her flaming nerves. "What do you have for me?"

"_Just standard business reports. Our share price went up again, another good sign that the economy is making its way back_."

"How much?"

Ryukotsusei didn't even hesitate with the numbers. She assumed he had then scrawled on his hand so he wouldn't forget. As her assistant, she knew that she demanded a lot from him. He was a good worker, she should raise his pay.

"_However, I found a couple accounts that sent up a red flag_."

Or maybe not.

"Which accounts?" Kaguya asked, hoping – praying – that he wouldn't read off the numbers... He did. Every single one of them. There were a couple more of course that he hadn't mentioned, but every one that he named off was part of the section in the business he _shouldn't _know about.

"Send them over to me, with another copy of those accounts. I'll deal with them myself," Kaguya replied. "I want them on my desk first thing in the morning."

"_Of course. Anything else_?"

"No, that's good. Thank you Ryukotsusei," she said, hanging up.

For a long moment, she sat there and tapped her fingers. He found the fucking accounts. Of all the bullshit fucked up things that he could do as her personal assistant that was the _worst_. And what was worse than that was he couldn't even be fired for it because he was just doing his job above and beyond.

"Dammit," she cursed, closing her eyes and relaxing against the leather chair. She needed to go to a spa or something. Try to relax. Her muscles were tense, her body tired from lack of sleep... Paranoia stresses the body and mind to a point that it feels so tightly wound it could snap at any moment.

The phone rang and she almost snapped right there.

Picking up the phone, Kaguya took a deep breath. Maybe...maybe... "Hello?"

"_You have seventy-eight hours to get me my money_."

It was them. The wait was over.

By the end of the phone call, Kaguya knew that wouldn't have time to ever go to the spa again.

* * *

"Inuyasha, this is still a bad idea."

Shaking his head, Inuyasha sighed. "There's nothing else that we can do. I'm useless with my bullet-less gun and you're useless for this stuff in general. I need to make it back to the shed. Once I have bullets, I'm going to check the house for any intruders and then we're going to grab our stuff and go."

"Where?" Kagome asked. "We have so many people trailing us that it's going to be impossible to lose all of them."

"Don't worry about that, let me deal with it," he responded somewhat roughly.

Kagome had a bad feeling about his answer, as if she really wasn't going to like it.

"Can you work a video camera?" Inuyasha asked suddenly, giving her a short look.

She gave him a pointed stare. "Um, reporter over here? I went through every possible job to become one, including a camerawoman. Why, what kind of camera do you have?"

Expecting some odd, high-tech FBI crap, Kagome was more than a little surprised and disappointed when he answered.

"I don't know. Something I bought at some electronic store. It's supposed to be easy to use; one of those cameras, I think."

Frowning, Kagome said, "Like, just a regular video camera?"

"Sure."

"Do you not know how to work one?" she asked, looking sceptical.

Inuyasha scowled at her. "Are we done chatting? Look, we should hurry. I want you to wait five seconds after I get out of the car. Then, you stay close to me, got it? You do not leave my side unless told to."

She hated being ordered around, but she was smart enough to know that it was a life or death matter, and that if anyone was going to keep her alive, it would be him. Kagome nodded and waited after he left the car, counting silently in her head before opening the pickup truck's door and sliding out.

She followed him to the tree line, where the both of them ducked down low. Kagome crawled on hands and knees while she scooted closer to the FBI agent, whispering, "Are you sure we should do this?"

"Ask me one more time," Inuyasha dangerously warned, the threat not needing to be said.

Kagome rolled her eyes but kept close, standing up and jogging with him through the bushes and trees to a small ramshackle shed she hadn't even known existed. Telling her to wait, Inuyasha slid to the front and went in, coming out a couple seconds later with what she assumed was a reloaded gun, a package of bullets for said gun and...another gun.

"Here," Inuyasha said; swivelling the gun so that the butt of it faced her. "Take this. We can't do it here but I'm going to have to find a shooting range so I can teach you."

Kagome almost choked. "Excuse me?" She stared at the gun, similar to Inuyasha's Smith and Wesson, with absolute horror.

"See this?" Inuyasha continued, as if she hadn't spoken. "This is the safety. Always keep it on. However, if you're going to shoot, you have to thumb it off, like this." He demonstrated on his own weapon, watching Kagome's unmoving horror-stricken face impassively. "Good?"

Unable to form words, Kagome merely nodded.

Nodding himself, Inuyasha shoved the gun into her unwilling hands and then looked at all the windows. "Everything's dark, but that really doesn't mean shit. I'm going in first and then you watch my back. Try not to scream pointlessly, instead yell orders like 'duck' or 'behind you', understand? You see anyone coming near us, you shoot. End of story."

"You're actually giving me a gun?" Kagome asked, still terrified. "I mean, what if I do shoot? Accidentally? On purpose?"

"If you shoot it off accidentally, you better hope to hell it's not at me or you. If you shoot it off on purpose, you better hope to hell it's not at me or you. I don't care about anything else," Inuyasha stated firmly. "Kagome, everything's going to be okay."

"Why are you telling me this? Do you actually think we're going to die?" she panicked. Why was he instructing her now? Did he think he was going to go down in a line of fire? _Why was this happening to her_?

"Calm down, Kagome," Inuyasha murmured softly, holstering his weapon.

"Why are you putting that away? If you _think_ we're going to get shot at shouldn't that be out _in front of you_ so that you can shoot first?" Kagome whimpered; her voice far too high but still fairly quiet in the woods.

Covering her mouth with his hands, Inuyasha bent in close, his hot breath tickling her neck. Feelings that she knew should be long buried started to surface and she was blinded for a moment of their dangerous situation. "You have to relax," Inuyasha whispered, still not uncovering her mouth. "Please, _shut up_ and let me get this over with. You will not die. I will not die. Okay?"

Kagome nodded, biting her lower lip. She was scared beyond all reason. None of this – the bombing, the shooting, the running and hiding – should have happened to her. None of it. It was some sick and twisted joke and it wasn't fair.

Slowly releasing her mouth, Inuyasha lowered his hands to her small wrists, bringing them close to him. "Are you alright now? A bit calmer?"

"I think so," she whispered, staring at her wrists that were being held in his tight grasp. She couldn't make eye contact with him, it was all too much. Their situation. Their dangerous, rogue, runaway lifestyle. It was what every romance novel writes about and every reader wishes to be true even though it would never happen. "What are you doing?"

Suddenly aware, Inuyasha looked down at his hands and then tilted his head, obviously thinking about something that he wasn't planning on sharing with her. Inuyasha looked up at her then and gave a smirk. "My jacket is really big for you." Blinking, Kagome stood silently as he rolled the sleeves up on each arm. When he was finished he scowled. "This is how you could've accidentally shot me, so you're lucky I realized."

"Wouldn't it be the other way around?" Kagome asked, finally snapping out of her stupor.

"No, because you'd be screwed without me," Inuyasha smoothly replied. Grabbing his gun from his holster, Inuyasha thumbed off the safety and nodded for her to follow him.

Nervously, Kagome held her weapon in a tight grip and slunk alongside him, looking around the yard for any signs of activity. She didn't see anything however, and kept telling herself over and over that nothing bad was going to happen.

Nothing bad was going to happen.

Inuyasha approached the door and unlocked it, slinking in and whispering "clear" before Kagome followed him in.

Nothing bad was going to happen.

Taking a couple steps forwards and taking a look around the kitchen, Inuyasha cleared that as well, Kagome watching from the door.

Nothing bad was going to happen.

"Son of a bitch!" Inuyasha shouted, making Kagome jump out of her skin.

As if nothing bad was going to happen.

She did what she was told. Removing the safety and taking quick steps towards Inuyasha's slightly bent over form, Kagome watched in horror as a dark figure covered in shadows came towards him.

Inuyasha was going to die.

Inuyasha was going to die.

_Inuyasha was going to die_.

She didn't think. She didn't have time to. All she did was react, react, react.

She fired the weapon three times, two bullets piercing the drywall by the attackers head while the other actually hit the mark, if only the attacker hadn't already ducked.

Inuyasha spun around low, having hit the ground the moment he heard shots. Kagome came towards him and the figure now growling on the floor and Inuyasha threw up his hands. "Kagome! Stop!"

She did so, but confusion crossed her features. "But he–"

The intruder spoke, his deep voice cold. "Inuyasha, I knew you were out of your mind stupid but for fuck's sake did you have to give her a gun?"

"He knows your name?" Kagome asked, instantly lowering the gun and taking a couple hazy steps back. Everything started spinning really fast.

Inuyasha got up and reached for her, pulling her close to him to keep her from falling to her knees. "Unfortunately. Kagome, meet my half-brother, Sesshomaru."

* * *

**The addition of Sesshomaru to this story was actually very last minute. Like, I just added it the moment the sentence came up. This story could take a while to complete.**

**For those of you that don't know, I have a new story posted called How to Kill Me**. **Check it out!**

**Thank you again and again and again for all of your reviews! **

**Let me know what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I have valid reasons but I won't even bother explaining. That would just take away from my chapter. Sorry and THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of the reviews. You are all so very amazing!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Twelve_

* * *

"Who?" Kagome asked, giving Inuyasha a weird look.

Before he answered, he grabbed the Smith and Wesson from her hands, making sure everything was safe before putting it on the ledge beside them. "Sesshomaru. He's my half-brother. We occasionally cross paths."

"Sadly," Sesshomaru added, standing up and lightly brushing himself off.

Kagome studied the man, pushing lightly at Inuyasha's chest so he could let her go. His touch was making it hard for her to think. Immediately pushing that thought aside, she took in the silver hair and pale face, noticing the same eye colour and muscular build. The biggest difference she could tell was the expression on their faces. Inuyasha seemed more open and readable where as Sesshomaru looked like stone.

"I'd say pleased to meet you, but I'm not entirely," Sesshomaru continued dryly, turning around and heading back into the living room. "You've made a mess of this place Inuyasha."

"Have you checked the master yet?" Inuyasha snapped back, rolling his eyes at his half-brother. Kagome could only watch their interaction in fascination. She hardly noticed the insult the strange man threw her way.

"Fuck, why?" The dead tone made him seem almost careless, but she could hear a teasing edge of frustration.

"Well I blew a guy's brains out in there so it's a bit bloody. I've cleaned it thoroughly so you can't see anything without a forensic light, but you never know," Inuyasha replied, sounding almost smug.

"You're as trigger happy as your girlfriend," Sesshomaru commented, leaving the living room finally to check out the mess Inuyasha suggested.

"Your girlfriend?" Kagome asked, looking up at Inuyasha intently. "I thought you said–"

Inuyasha gave her a pointed look before rolling his eyes yet again and following his brother. Kagome was silenced by Sesshomaru's statement and decided to leave the two alone. The older brother didn't seem to have an immediate liking to her and Inuyasha was clearly over-the-top aggravated.

Inuyasha followed Sesshomaru into the master bedroom, his eyes immediately lingering to the spot where he had shot the intruder. "I had to, you know," he said, explaining himself.

"No," Sesshomaru said; his voice dripping sarcasm. "You shot the guy for no reason."

Scowling, Inuyasha crossed his arms. "I know you don't particularly adore me or anything, but could you stop leaking venom everywhere you go?"

"Is the venom poisonous?" Sesshomaru asked, glaring at him.

Inuyasha gave him a confused look. "If it is?"

"Then I'll keep 'leaking' as you so disturbingly phrase it and hope that you soon die."

Inuyasha nodded, rolling his eyes. It seemed to be the only thing that he could do in the presence of his half-brother. "Figures."

"Why'd you kill him then?" Sesshomaru asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"The bastard had Kagome in the bathtub, naked. She had been in ice water for a couple hours. He was trying to freeze her and then blow her away in bed in hopes of framing me for murder," Inuyasha replied, looking at the floor. "I barely made it back on time."

"Any suspects?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Brotherhood Mafia."

"Killing her as payback for releasing their name in the news?"

Inuyasha nodded. "That's what I thought."

"Thought meaning not anymore," Sesshomaru commented, inspecting the carpet and nodding to himself.

"If the sick plan was followed out, I would be implicated too. Mob bosses don't make their kills look like something other than a hit. That's why it's so obvious when they do it. So why were they going to implicate me?"

"Not as dumb as you look."

"I resent that."

Sesshomaru gave Inuyasha a cold look. "You were able to read my sarcasm? I'm surprised."

"Go fuck yourself," Inuyasha spat, though there was no anger in his voice. He had been long used to the typical conversations with his brother. This was nothing new. "We need to move – Kagome and I – since we're potentially being followed. I'm pretty sure that we weren't but after the attack–"

"Another one?" Sesshomaru asked, walking into the bathroom.

"I was finding out some information on the murder case I was originally here on and someone followed us. Nearly killed Kagome. She nearly killed me since she drove the car right into me, but that's beside the point."

"I was going to say you look like hell, but I figured you knew."

"Funny. Continuing, the car was smashed into the shop and it was her car. Cops have probably already gotten to it and it's only a matter of time before they run the plates and contact the FBI."

"If they haven't already," Sesshomaru added.

Inuyasha sighed. "The point is that I have a stolen vehicle that I need to ditch and I have to get out of here as soon as possible."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and returned from the bathroom, coming within a few feet of his younger brother. "You always leave a fucking mess," he said dryly. "Get your stuff and go."

"We need to clean up. Our prints are everywhere. Even if you're here and they find this place, they'll have a warrant to search."

Sesshomaru gave Inuyasha an odd look. "You think they'll bring forensics? They don't have any legal standing there."

"The FBI more often than not gets their way," Inuyasha replied. "Besides, now that you're here, you can help to hold them off."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and walked out of the master bedroom. "Well go grab your shit and I'll look to see what damage control I can do with the bullet holes your girlfriend blasted into the wall."

Inuyasha grimaced. "She's not my girlfriend."

"Do you think I care who you're screwing?"

"We're not–" Inuyasha started but was cut off by Sesshomaru's flagging hand.

"Please. Whatever you want to call it, if not screwing, is not my business. I don't want the details."

Inuyasha growled, stalking away and trying to find Kagome. He called her name a couple times and found her in the bedroom he had originally given her. The bed remained untouched and Kagome stood before it, staring at it steadily.

"Hey," Inuyasha called, knocking on the door lightly to let her know that he was there. "You okay?"

Kagome hesitated before nodding, reaching her hand out to hover just about the sheets. "He wanted to kill me here, you know? That thought is really creepy. Terrifying, actually, would be the more appropriate term but..."

"Don't think about it," Inuyasha murmured; his voice softer than usual. Kagome gave him a startled look before nodding her head and turning to grab the few clothes she had recently bought. She threw them into a plastic bag she had found and then turned to see Inuyasha gathering the bed sheets and folding them.

"What are you doing?" Kagome asked.

"Getting all the evidence of our presence in this cottage out of the way. We need to hide it somewhere, just in case. Sesshomaru's going to help."

Kagome frowned. "You two aren't very friendly I've noticed."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha scowled and turned away from her. "Thanks Tips."

Sticking her tongue out behind his back, she gasped when she saw Sesshomaru standing in the doorway, watching her.

"Smooth," the older brother commented, looking directly at her.

Kagome felt the heat rise to her cheeks when she realized he had witnessed her childish reaction to Inuyasha comment.

"What?" Inuyasha asked, slightly confused.

"Nothing gets past you, Special Agent Taisho," Sesshomaru muttered, sarcasm clear in his voice. "Look. I was able to cover the not-too-subtle bullet holes but it's not the best job ever. You better hope I can hold off enough that they don't take too close of a look."

"Aren't you supposed to be a good fucking lawyer?" Inuyasha asked. "Then do what you're overpaid to do and hold them off."

Sesshomaru sighed. "He's intelligent too."

"If we're hiding evidence, we should vacuum," Kagome mentioned, thinking about it.

"And clear your grimy fingerprints off of all the dishes and plates you used," Sesshomaru added. "Look, it's impossible. I doubt forensics–"

"Sesshomaru, just fucking help do it," Inuyasha barked. "I know I'm not your favourite person in the whole-wide world–"

"I thought we already had this conversation," Sesshomaru muttered softly.

"But I sure as hell don't want to hire you to save my ass," Inuyasha finished. "Just help. Kagome, give me your stuff and I'll put it in the truck. I'm going to strip the sheets and throw them in the back too. We'll ditch them somewhere out of town."

Sesshomaru nodded curtly, turning to leave the room and heading towards the kitchen.

"He doesn't really seem that bad," Kagome said thoughtfully. He hadn't told Inuyasha about her earlier gesture. Maybe he was half-decent?

Inuyasha glared at her like she had lost her mind and left the room too, leaving her to find the vacuum and start around the house.

* * *

Bokuseno Suzuki was not in a very good mood. He was pissed, in fact, because his team was so fucking _incompetent_. For a group of people that were supposed to be astounding at their job, worked to the bone... They didn't have a single lead on a stupid reporter and a single, ineffectual and implicated FBI agent. It shouldn't be that hard. Really.

"Are you sure?" he asked, emphasizing the final word. "This is the Higurashi girl's car?"

The FBI agent nodded, handing him the paperwork. "We ran the plates twice. It's hers."

Bokuseno doubled checked the paper and then glanced up at the blue two-door in question. "So... What the hell is it doing _here_?"

"In the middle of a store, no less," the agent added. "Well the store owner is being questioned right now. From what I overheard, there was a shooter."

"Is the store owner that man over there?" he asked, pointing to an older man with ripped jeans and a button up denim shirt.

The agent nodded and Bokuseno excused himself. He walked over to the man, giving a look at the agent asking questions before speaking himself. "Hello, I'm Special Agent Suzuki, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I'm heading this case right now and I wanted to ask you a couple questions."

The man looked at bit confused, looking from the younger agent to him. "But I'm already answering them."

"Repeat some of mine then, if you will," Bokuseno said with great patience. If this was a break on catching Taisho and Higurashi, he needed to take it fast. "Was there a shooter?"

"Well, yeah," the man said, the drawl in his voice making the statement longer than necessary. "I was talking to this fine man about one of our tranquilizer guns. He was interested in the make and model, wanted to know what it shot and how fast–"

"A tranquilizer gun?" Bokuseno asked, making sure he heard right. He knew that Taisho had been working a case that had the potential use of tranquilizer darts – he had gotten a copy of the file that Taisho had stolen. But what the hell was the agent doing? Was he trying to solve the murder in hopes of redeeming himself? Was he out of his mind?

The man nodded. "Yup. The conversation was going great too until we heard gunfire. Now, I've been hunting all my life and I know when there's gunfire. There were three or four shots at first, pretty close together. The man I was talking to jumped like hell and ran out. He pulled out a Smith and Wesson, eh? Fired the damn thing into the trees."

"Why would he do that?"

"Well that's where the shooting was coming from, clearly," the store owner answered, slightly impatient. "And then out of nowhere, this car goes and _hits_ him. My lord, he flew right on top of that windshield. For a moment I thought he was dead, but I ran like hell out the back and called 9-1-1."

"So someone starting firing a weapon and the man you were speaking to in the store ran out firing back. Then a car hits him and crashes into your store, correct?"

The store owner nodded.

"And this man you were talking to, did you happen to get his name?"

"Nope," the man answered. "But he was sure interesting. Wanted to know all the facts."

"What did he look like?" Bokuseno asked, wondering if he could get a possible ID on Taisho.

"Tall, maybe six foot, with silver hair," the store owner replied. "Can I go now? I need to make some calls to insurance." He eyed the damage done by the car warily. "I hope it covers."

Bokuseno nodded distractedly, turning around and taking the information in. From what the store owner said, someone had started shooting at Taisho and Higurashi, causing Taisho to fire back and... Somehow in all of that a car hits him. Where was Higurashi? The man didn't mention a young woman. Could she have hit Taisho?

None of it made sense.

His cell phone rang and he picked it up on the second loop. "Suzuki."

"_Suzuki, this is Rin Noto sir. I finally got confirmation back from Agent Taisho's credit card company. Apparently, three days ago a purchase was made at a boutique._" She listed off the information of the town and the purchase price and items.

Bokuseno listened carefully, realizing that this was yet another break. "Does that area hold anything special to Taisho?"

"_Not to him. I went through records however, and he has an older brother – a Sesshomaru Taisho. In his name they own a piece of property that's around fifteen to twenty minutes from the store_."

"Good job, Agent Noto. You're closer to their potential location. Get a team and cover it. Make sure you try to get a warrant on the way, just in case."

Hanging up the phone, Bokuseno smiled to himself. Things were finally starting to fall into place. He just needed to make one more phone call.

"This is Special Agent Bokuseno Suzuki. I was wondering if suspect Bankotsu Takeshi had been brought in for questioning yet."

The answer was exactly what he wanted.

Yes, things were looking up.

It wasn't every day you got to interrogate the infamous boss of the Brotherhood Mafia.

* * *

Inuyasha's cell phone started buzzing wildly. Double checking the caller ID, making sure that it was clearly from a payphone, he opened it and waited patiently.

"_Inuyasha, it's Shippo_," the red-head said from the other line; his voice panicked. "_Listen to me, where are you_?"

Wondering what the hell was going on, Inuyasha looked down at the car where Kagome's clothes and the used sheets lay and then at the cottage. "Uh, my cottage?"

"_Get the hell out of there_," he immediately yelled. "_They traced a purchase you made on a credit card a couple days ago. It took a while for them to get the information, but they found a place owned by your half-brother... Is that where you are_?"

Inuyasha felt his body go cold. "Fuck."

"_I'll take that as a yes. They left a while ago. You need to haul ass and get as far away from there as possible. I don't know how long it will take them_." Shippo took a deep breath. "_I think they left around twenty-five minutes ago_."

"That gives me ten minutes tops, if they're going all out," Inuyasha muttered. Slamming the pickup's door shut, he started up the driveway. He had to get to Kagome _now_. "Thank you Shippo. Anything else?"

"_Are you in a stolen car_?"

Inuyasha cursed softly and sighed. "They know it yet?"

"_No but they have their suspicions_," Shippo replied. "_You were in the middle of nowhere and obviously without a car. They're waiting and checking for any automobiles reported stolen_."

"Well let's bloody hope I get some more time. Do they have a warrant?"

"_Not yet. Someone is following them later with it. As far as I know, it hasn't gone through yet_." Shippo remained silent for a moment before continuing. "_There's no new information on the Koyasu case._"

Inuyasha had just entered the house and ran around trying to find Kagome. "It's okay. I think what's going on with Kagome and I is way over our heads – more so than we thought. I think this has some sort of connection – Kagome! Come here now! We need to move it like hell! Sesshomaru, don't do anything stupid!"

"_I'll let you go then_. _I'll be in touch_."

Inuyasha hung up and grabbed Kagome's arm, a little rougher than he intended but she barely winced. "Come _on_. The FBI is on their way. They have my credit card information now and they caught that purchase you made with your clothes."

Sesshomaru walked in. "You paid with a credit card when you were on the run? Are you stupid?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Pleasure to see you. Hold them off, if you could. At least until I can steal another car."

"Well I'll just be counting down the minutes," Sesshomaru responded coldly. "Go. I'd say 'be good' but obviously there's no point."

"Thank you Sesshomaru!" Kagome called while being dragged by Inuyasha. "See you later!"

The door opened and closed with a quick slam and Sesshomaru shook his head. "I hope to god not."

It hadn't taken long for the FBI to arrive. He had continued to clean the house, making sure to wipe clean all of the dishes in the cupboards and placing his prints all over them. He started boiling some water and noodles, hoping that he would seem at least somewhat normal. Not that anything was normal.

His stupid, twit of a half-brother had yet again fucked things up. Again.

It was typical.

Hell, he was surprised that Inuyasha was still _alive_. He had one hell of a screwed up past – not that he really knew much about it – and yet there he was, shining star of the FBI.

Now _most wanted_ of the FBI, but that was all in the petty details.

Kagome had finished all of the vacuuming, and he had put the cleaner away in the closet. It was then that there was a loud rapping on his door and he slowly made his way over, trying to see through the windows. There were flashing lights everywhere.

Sighing and wishing that Inuyasha had never been born, Sesshomaru unlocked the door and opened it, surprised when he didn't immediately see anyone.

"Sesshomaru Taisho, I presume," a feminine voice said, forcing Sesshomaru's head to take a sharp decline in order to see the woman with that voice.

Very small and thin, a girl in her late twenties stood before him, one hand out in front of her and another lightly touching the holster of her weapon. She had long black hair, much like Inuyasha's girlfriend's and a small pale face. Her eyes were a milk chocolate, very light and startling.

"Yes, I am. Who are you?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Special Agent Rin Noto, FBI. Is your brother Inuyasha here or Kagome Higurashi?" She peered around the house, trying to look around him but to no avail. She was much too small.

"Half-brother, first of all," he corrected, "and he's, what, you're most wanted suspect at the moment? And they send you? How tall are you? Do you even weigh past one-hundred pounds?"

The look on her face deadpanned as she glared up at him. "Would you mind if we searched the premises?"

"Yes, I do," Sesshomaru immediately answered. "How old are you? Can you even drink?"

"A warrants on the way," Agent Noto continued, still glaring daggers at him. "You can just let us search it since we're going to anyways. It will save you a lot of trouble."

"Correction, Special Agent Noto, it will save _you_ a lot of trouble. I don't have to do anything. I have food on the stove so I'm going to have my dinner. When you have a warrant, you can knock again. Enjoy."

With that, Sesshomaru shut the door and walked back into the kitchen. He approached the stove and moved the boiling pot of water off of it, stirring the pot and then draining the water. All of a sudden, he chuckled.

The agent was cute.

Young and _really_ short.

But cute.

He couldn't wait until she knocked on the door again. He wondered how far he could go before he pissed her off completely.

Thinking about it for a moment, he shuddered when he realized his actions were similar to that of Inuyasha's. Pushing the terrifying thought aside, Sesshomaru continued to make his dinner.

* * *

**Oh yay. Oh joy. Exams are on their way. I have one week of hell and then an entire month for exams. So, fast updates, promise!**

**Please review and let me know what you think. Again, I'm so sorry for this late chappie. Forgive me?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Not my real A plus work but, this was written until three in the morning, after all-day studying for exams... I deeply apologize for any problems.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Thirteen_

* * *

Bokuseno Suzuki, the captain of his division in the FBI, never felt so smug.

"Never thought I'd see you in this room," he told his guest, crossing his arms over his broad chest. Not the best looking, deep lines and ragged scars covered his face, making him look far older than he truly was. He was hard-headed, stubborn and he sure as hell wasn't planning on retiring any time soon. The FBI had a turnover rate, he knew that, but because of his position and number of bad guys he had put behind bars, they had yet to call him to headquarters.

This would make his life just that much better.

Catching a rogue and obviously gone-bad cop, Bokuseno knew that all of the seniors above him would congratulate him with serious benefits. Catching a terrorist with said cop would put him high up on the list for awards with honours. And now, with Bankotsu Takeshi, boss of the Brotherhood Mafia... Well, things just couldn't get much better.

"Eh, we all have our days," Bankotsu replied, shrugging. "Not like you have anything to hold me with. Okay, yeah, a bit of illegal merchandise," he scoffed loudly. "A slap on the wrist."

He was smart. Bokuseno admired that about the younger man before him, staring into deep coloured eyes and strong features. "Maybe. Maybe not. I guess it depends."

Bankotsu gave a shit-eating grin, drumming his hands on the table. "Depends on what, Special Agent? I see that look in your eyes. You want something and you want something bad." The mob boss sat back, the grin never leaving his face. "Well, I like deals. What you want, I can get, but you have to throw down a pretty big fucking gauntlet."

Sighing, the FBI agent shook his head. "As if I would make a deal with you. The Brotherhood Mafia isn't exactly my cup of tea. There are a lot of men I know that would love to see you go down."

Bankotsu laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure there are. But do you think I give a shit? Do you actually think that I'm worried about whatever the hell you're trying to pull?" The guttural laugh came back. "You've got thirty-two hours left before I'm free to go and after that, it'll be harassment."

"Unless I catch you with something," Bokuseno added.

The younger man shrugged and sat up, leaning in really close. "Desperate for a deal, aren't you?"

For a long time, the older FBI agent sat there, eyes heavy and guarded while he watched the smile spread across Bankotsu's face. His mind raced with conflict, questions and solutions building up until he could determine what he wanted and what he needed. Standing up, he turned to the wall and made a cutting motion with his throat, telling his agents behind the reflective glass to shut off the tape. He waited a few moments, eyes turned down and away. "This interview is over," Bokuseno said.

The smile never left the mob boss's face. "But not our negotiations."

* * *

It was like Kagome was floating on air, the wind rushing past her, freezing her to the bone. Her body was weary, unable to move as she felt her muscles tense at the pressure. Something was wrong.

Her eyes opening, Kagome made a small sound, cuddling deeper into the hard warmth that surrounded her. All cotton and pure radiating heat, she settled back into what was hopefully a much better dream than the nightmares she had been having.

Wait, cotton? What happened to the leather seats?

Kagome's head snapped up, instantly aware of the change. Fear gripped her as she didn't know where she was, who she was with and she pushed away from the warmth, away from the hardness, and felt her body being held tighter, closer.

"Goddammit, Kagome, stop squirming," Inuyasha grumbled, tightening his grip on her until her chocolate eyes met his and she relaxed.

"It's just you," she said, taking a deep breath before taking a look around. They were outside in a poorly lit parking lot and Inuyasha was carrying her bridal style towards a small four-door sedan. A running four-door sedan. "We're stealing another car?" Kagome murmured, looking up at him.

"We need to get out of the pickup truck. The sheets are already trashed in a ditch and I've grabbed the little we're keeping already. We need to keep the FBI on the move, _away_ from us."

She was placed gently in the passenger seat, her body instantly shivering from the disappearing heat as Inuyasha's body left hers. She waited patiently for him to get in the driver's side, noticing that the pickup was nowhere in sight. "Where's the truck?"

"There's a small patch of trees lining the road. I hid it through there while you were sleeping," he answered gruffly, shifting the car into drive and taking off.

Kagome yawned and stretched out in the seat, no longer feeling tired but just a little bit guilty leaving him to do all the work. "You could've woken me up," she reminded him softly, her eyes watching his tense face as it focused on the road.

Inuyasha shrugged, a small grunt her only answer and she waited, letting the silence fill the car and stretch out like the kilometres they covered. It was early in the morning, almost three am, and she wondered how much the FBI agent had done in the little time they had been running.

Noticing her stare, Inuyasha raised a brow at her. "What?"

"I was just wondering what the game plan was," Kagome answered, checking the heating and turning it up. She had been frozen since Inuyasha had first put her down in the car, and for the life of her she couldn't warm up.

Inuyasha sighed. "There isn't one really. I'm just trying to get the FBI off our tail for now. I managed to withdraw my daily limit from my bank account a state back, and now I want to find a bank and withdraw some more. We're going to have to go into hiding for a bit, while trying to figure this whole fucked up mess."

Biting her lower lip, Kagome debated for a moment. "How risky would it be if I went into the bank and told them my card was stolen, and needed a new one to withdraw money? I don't have tons, but I have enough that could help. The bomb destroyed everything in my purse though."

Inuyasha shook his head. "Don't bother. I make good money, that's not what I'm worried about."

"Then what?" she asked. She knew it was a dumb question. With killers on their heels, the FBI trailing every movement and absolutely no knowledge of what was going on they were pretty much shit for luck. The only hope in hell that they had was to prove their innocence, and that all went back to the bomb.

"We have nowhere to go," Inuyasha answered simply, checking the rear-view mirror compulsively. "We'll have to go into a very isolated part of the state to get a motel, or else we risk being found. There is no place I can think of going to hide out, and we can't just keep stealing cars and living in backseats for each night. Especially since you can't shoot a gun to save your life and if anything happened... It's just bad, okay?" The rough tone forced Kagome to bite her lip harder, turning to look out the window.

"Hey," he called softly to her, his hand grabbing her face and turning her to him. He glanced at her briefly before returning to the road. "Stop biting your lip. You'll make it bleed or something stupid."

Kagome laughed, shaking her head away from his grip and collapsing against the leather seat. "You just tell me that we more or less have no hope and then you go on to order me to not bite my lip?"

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha huffed. "You're so difficult."

"Join the club," Kagome quipped. "Look, from how I see this, we have to prove our innocence, right?"

"Yeah? And how in the hell are we going to do that?" Inuyasha demanded softly, and Kagome could hear how hard he was trying not to sound overly-hopeless.

"We'll start with who put the bomb in my purse."

Silent for a moment, Inuyasha contemplated the idea, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel. "No," he finally replied. "We start with _how_ the bomb ended up in your purse. _Who_ put the bomb in your purse?"

Kagome nodded. "Okay. How do we figure that out?"

"When did you ever leave your purse alone?"

Thinking about it for a moment, bottom lip tucked under her teeth, Kagome shrugged. "Never. It's always with me. The only time that it wouldn't actually be in my sight is at my house but even then... It's in my kitchen and I would _know_ if someone was in there."

"What if you were sleeping?" Inuyasha asked after a moment. "Would you for sure hear if anyone was in your kitchen had you been sleeping?"

Kagome sighed. "No. Probably not."

"Then that's a start," Inuyasha said, a small smirk gathering at the corner of his mouth. "Are you listed in the phonebook?"

Kagome nodded immediately. "Yes, under my mother's name."

"Higurashi?"

"No," Kagome responded. "Her maiden name. You wouldn't be able to tell it was me unless I actually gave the address."

"What if they know your family?" Inuyasha asked, stealing another glance her way.

Kagome shook her head. "They're not even in the country. I hardly see them once a year. It wouldn't be them, and there are only two people that actually know I have a family – my friends Sango and Miroku."

"Okay, so your family is ruled out." Inuyasha thought about it for another long moment. "Who else would know your address?"

"I don't know Inuyasha," Kagome sighed. "A bunch of people, I guess? It's not like I give it out but my friends Sango and Miroku know... A couple other people from work, my boss–"

"Memorized?"

Kagome shrugged. "Sango, Miroku... And my boss would have it on file."

"Maybe whoever put the bomb in your purse got to your friends, made them tell where you lived–?"

"Not a chance," she said immediately. "I saw both of them before I went to see you and Shippo. Neither one of them looked troubled..." And that's when it struck her. The uncomfortable conversation. The reason he had been so adamant that she didn't leave. Kagome gasped at the realization and looked at Inuyasha, her hands grasping his arm. "My boss, Myoga Ogata. He had been terribly unhappy. He didn't want me to go out at all but couldn't give me a reason why."

Inuyasha nodded. "That'll do it. Okay, so we need to head back then, question him. Do you think he'll help us or no?"

"I didn't think he'd give my information away like that," Kagome mumbled, completely uncertain for the first time. "I'm not sure if he would."

"Kagome," Inuyasha murmured, getting her attention. "This was right after you made the announcement on television. This was probably before the whole mess spiralled out of control when all of the problems were centred around you. Whether it was the mafia that got to him or one of the gangs, they probably threatened him. If he has a family..."

"He does," Kagome whispered. "I wouldn't expect him to put them at risk. It's not his fault."

Inuyasha nodded. "There's a bank up ahead. We're far enough away that I think it is safe enough to withdraw. I'm heading in the opposite direction of Coral so if we make it back there, the FBI shouldn't be hot on our tails."

"When we get there, do you want to switch?" Kagome asked, noticing the way his head bobbed slightly like he was starting to fall asleep. "How long has it been since you last had any shut eye?"

"Um, I think I'm at forty six hours now? How long ago did we share the bed?"

Instantly, Kagome felt her cheeks heat up, remembering not only their cuddling that night, but the amazingly hot kiss the following day and the realization that she needed to get laid. "Two days ago."

"Well, that was the last time," Inuyasha explained, seemingly completely oblivious to her discomfort. "But I'm fine."

Kagome sighed and snuggled deeper into the leather seat, still trying to get warm. Shivers passed through her body and rocked her, and although she turned up the heat and had the vents blasting, nothing seemed to be working. Inuyasha didn't at all seem bothered, and vaguely she wondered if the hot air was making it harder for him to stay awake.

Inuyasha turned to look at her, forcing Kagome to quickly look away into the dark coloured seat. She waited for a bit, closing her eyes and re-opening them, only to realize that he was still watching. The car slowed down, and she discovered that they were pulling off to the side of the road, the bumps of the soft shoulder a clear indicator.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking up at his amber eyes, glittering like melted gold. His gaze was so intense, so strong that Kagome didn't know what to expect, what to do. She was against the seat, tilted back almost flat, with the heat blowing against her. It was the reason she suddenly felt a surge of warmth, a blush creeping to her cheeks. It had to be.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Are you cold?" It was almost like he had snapped himself out of something, like he was mentally talking to himself and debating over some issue. He was looking at her, really looking _at_ her, and Kagome couldn't help but feel more than just a little self-conscious in her tank top and jeans. She had lost her sweater when they had been escaping, and since they rushed out of the cottage because of the FBI, she hadn't had time to put on another.

Inuyasha stiffly moved to take off his jacket, the one that she had borrowed earlier and splayed it across her. She moved to adjust it so it covered her midsection up to her neck, her long hair getting caught on the Velcro lining the jacket. Suddenly, Inuyasha's hand was there, carefully sorting it out and tucking her raven locks behind her ear. Kagome watched him, utterly still and silent. She didn't trust herself to speak.

Like a flip had been switched, Inuyasha turned away and starting the car going again. "You should get to sleep," he said roughly, and Kagome had to make sure she didn't think it was in any way husky. It couldn't be. "We still have a long way to go," he continued.

Kagome snuggled deeper under his jacket, taking a deep breath and smelling nothing but the sweet scent of what could only be Inuyasha. She closed her eyes, feeling sleepy once more with the heat on her face and the jacket hugging her tight, and her last thought was one in which Inuyasha hadn't turned around, but instead leaned over to kiss her.

* * *

Sesshomaru watched her face turn from professional to indignant in mere seconds.

"Can't someone else watch him?" Special Agent Rin Noto had asked; desperation clear in her voice. "He's been bothering me this entire time."

Another agent shook his head and entered the house, leaving the small, fragile-looking woman with a strange look on her face that ranged from anger to fear to contempt.

"Do you get the lovely task of keeping me company? If you like, I could make a fuss, and then you could put me in cuffs to show everyone that you're not the tiny five-foot-barely _anything_ special agent that probably isn't even old enough to drink yet." Sesshomaru thought he was very entertaining, if only to himself.

The woman sighed and made her way over to him. "Shut up. I can drink."

"Well," Sesshomaru started, "drinking illegally wasn't what I meant."

"I'm legally allowed to drink!" Rin exclaimed, crossing her arms tight over her chest. She probably wanted to hit him.

"Since when? Last week?"

The glare she shot his way was meant to send him six-feet under. He could tell that one easily – Inuyasha sent it to him all the time.

"Why won't you just tell us that your half-brother was here, and then we could ask you a few questions and never bother you again," Rin explained, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She looked more than just a little uncomfortable, and Sesshomaru was almost positive that it wasn't due to him alone.

The lawyer side in him kicked in. "You know him, don't you?"

Rin's sharp gaze landed on his, her deep brown eyes unreadable before she looked away. "Barely."

"My bitch of a half-brother is many things that I could name. Most of those names would be vulgar and degrading. But he's not what you think he is." Sesshomaru almost had to choke to keep himself from gagging. He didn't make nice talk. "It doesn't matter what I say or do because you're searching my cottage and not giving a damn."

He was just lucky that the warrant only held for a search, and not forensics. Had forensics been in there, they might have caught the massive bleached out puddle of blood in the master bedroom, or the bullet holes that were currently hiding behind a picture frame on the wall. Stuffing his hands in his light jacket he had brought out with him, Sesshomaru waited in silence, figuring the small woman at his side would say nothing more.

"How do you know?"

The question was so quiet he wasn't sure if she said it at first.

"How do you know?" she repeated, loudly and slightly more impatient.

"He's too stupid," Sesshomaru said easily.

Rin raised a brow. "He was one of the best."

"If their agents are like _you_, then I wouldn't doubt it."

"If you're not careful, I really am going to cuff you," Rin threatened, huffing out her breath. "You are so annoying. You're like your brother, you know that? Talks big, but doesn't mean it. Can do almost the impossible but claims it is anyways. Maybe you don't like him because he's just like _you_."

For a long, draw-out moment, Sesshomaru just stood there, looking at her. The very evidence that she was coming out with was circumstantial, unbelievable, and his fists clenched in his jacket, the only sign that he had heard her. He was nothing like his half-brother, the stupid bastard. Nothing like him.

And yet, only a few hours ago had he compared himself to him.

_Fuck_.

"How about then," Sesshomaru started slowly, evenly, "I take you out and show you all the ways that I'm not like my arrogant, stupid, son of a bitch of a half-brother?"

Rin stared at him. "You can't seriously be asking me out."

Sesshomaru shrugged. It seemed like a fair offer. "I don't like being compared with my brother like that." He held his hand out for a moment, waiting for her to give him a pad of paper and a pen to write his number down.

Rin hesitated, looking at his hand. "Do you want me to hold it now that you've admitted your deep-seated fear?"

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. "Give me a piece of paper."

Sighing, she took out her notepad and a pen and handed it towards him, looking around the early morning sky. It had taken a lot longer for the warrant than they had imagined, and she had been standing there, freezing her ass off. Now it was three in the morning, she was waiting outside and allowing this man that she just met to give her his information.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his eyes never lifting from the page as he scribbled things down.

"Making sure no one sees you writing on my pad. They will never let me live this down if they think it's what it really is." Rin paused. "You know you have a snowball's chance in hell, right, of me actually calling you?"

The corners of Sesshomaru's mouth lifted. "I'm really too good looking to have that sort of chance."

Rin rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath as he handed her back the pad and pen with his name and number. "Snowball's chance in hell. And you're a pretty small snowball. Do you feel the heat?"

She thought she was being smart. Sesshomaru found that to almost be cute. Almost. "Do you?" he murmured back, taking a step towards her and almost closing the distance between them.

* * *

Four hours later and Inuyasha was positive that he was going to fall asleep at the wheel. It was seven in the morning, and he had been out withdrawing money or throwing away incriminating items for a trail that would lead the FBI in the opposite direction. When it was all said and done, he had turned around, the morning light giving show, irritating his eyes. He felt the drowsiness overcome him once more and he snapped back, quickly looking at the road and then Kagome, who was still sleeping peacefully.

He should wake her up and force her to drive so he could sleep. He really needed to sleep. But looking in the rear-view mirror with tons of traffic behind him, he shook his head. Someone could be following and if Kagome was the one taking the wheel... She had a lousy shot, she was a woman so she probably couldn't drive...well...

Turning off the road and following a couple signs, Inuyasha sighed in thanks when a forest loomed around, giving him the isolation he wished to have. The motel drew up a while later, the shabby roof and cracked paint a signal that they were rarely bothered by customers. It was perfect. Getting out of the car, grabbing the duffel bag and then carrying Kagome bridal style, Inuyasha walked into the main office and saw an old man who was watching TV. It was the longest ten minutes of Inuyasha's life, but eventually he threw the cash down and got the motel key, wondering vaguely what felt wrong with the situation. He was positive the old man didn't know who they were...

Opening the creaking motel door, Inuyasha sighed when he realized, shaking his head and cursing because he knew the moment Kagome woke up, she would kill him. The old man hadn't asked if they wanted one king or two queens. Obviously, he had just assumed a king would be fine.

Placing Kagome on the bed, he took off her shoes and tucked her under the covers. Undressing himself, he changed into track pants and got in on the other side, making sure that his back was to her. She would probably kill him in the morning, with no recollection of going into a motel room.

Oh well. He was tired as fuck and wanted to sleep.

She could kill him in the morning if she wanted to, because he probably wouldn't wake up to feel the pain.

* * *

**So there it is. The next chapter will be better hopefully. More action and so on. Lots of fluff and maybe other things next chapter.**

**Thank you for all of the review! Keep them coming, I love hearing from you.**

**Also, with exams I've been lacking in the response department. If I'm not answering a question you want me to answer, remind me or personal message me. I WILL respond, just slowly.**


	14. Chapter 14

**It's honestly two in the morning. I should be sleeping. But I felt really crappy for taking so long.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Fourteen_

* * *

"_Do you understand me_?"

The woman sighed quietly, her hand over the mouthpiece so that her boss wouldn't hear. "Yes," she said finally, rolling her eyes. "I understand."

"_I will pay you tomorrow, if the job is done. I want proof of her death_."

"Then you will have proof." The hitwoman fidgeted with her big bug-eyed sunglasses, putting them on and relaxing in the front seat of her small car. "They're in my sight and whenever I have the chance, I'll kill them."

"_I only require her dead. I'm not paying you for both_."

"Understood."

"_And Yura? Make no mistakes this time. Ditch her body somewhere where it will never be found_."

"Understood," Yura repeated, shaking her head dismally. This hit had gone from good to bad to ugly in days. "By tonight, Miss Higurashi will be stone cold dead. Just the way you want her."

"_Perfect_."

* * *

Have you ever woken up with a feeling of dread?

Inuyasha just did.

Not the "someone's about to stab me with a knife" danger, but the "_someone's _going to want me dead" kind of danger. Not serious, but still potentially life threatening.

Inuyasha opened his eyes, looking around the room carefully while tightening his grip on the pillow his arms were snaked around somewhat underneath his body.

"Oh good. You're awake. I'd love to hear how we wound up in a motel room that I don't remember entering."

So much for a pillow.

Inuyasha jumped up slightly, throwing his weight off to the side and instantly regretting it as he fell flat on his ass.

"Christ," Inuyasha swore, rubbing at his sleepy eyes before he looked around the motel room. Memories flashed through his mind of the couple hours before he passed out, and Inuyasha grimaced. He remembered something vaguely about worrying for his life because a certain reporter could kill him.

It was probably going to be worse now that he had been sleeping _on top_ of her.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, her soft voice filling his ears and forcing him to look up at her from the floor. She didn't look angry; in fact, she looked damn sexy. Hair was completely a mess and her face was tinged pink, probably because she was suffocating under his weight. He wasn't heavy but he wasn't a feather either.

"Um, yeah, hi," Inuyasha mumbled, shaking his head and standing up. "I, uh, got tired and since there was a motel I got us one. To sleep, of course, because what else is there to do in a motel room?" He laughed uneasily and turned away, walking briskly towards the bathroom before she could see his cringing expression.

Watching the door slam, Kagome frowned and fell back down into the scratchy motel pillows. She took a deep breath and relaxed, feeling better than she had in a while actually. It was the first sleep that she hadn't been afraid or ill at ease. Even when she woke up with Inuyasha's wide open lips in her face, his hair in her mouth and his rock solid body on top of hers, she still wasn't horribly uncomfortable. Just struggling for air a bit.

"Why didn't he ask me to drive?" Kagome asked to no one in particular, vaguely going through her head and remembering his whole sexist comment about men driving and women in the passenger seat because they couldn't drive. Or something like that.

When Inuyasha came back out into the bedroom, no longer was he itching to move or walk away. His face was casual, his hair a little messed up from sleep but his golden eyes were more than wide awake. "We should get going," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at her. "It's two in the afternoon, we need food and we're still three hours away from Coral."

Kagome sat up instantly, looking at the little alarm clock that flashed neon green numbers. "Seriously? When did we get in here?"

"Seven this morning, I think," Inuyasha murmured, shrugging. "I was practically going to pass out while driving and thought that stopping here would be best."

"I can drive, you know," Kagome said, glaring at him the best she could while she probably looked like crap. "I'm capable and I _have_ a driver's license – just not on me."

"Exactly. And if a police car flashed his lights on us, what would you do?"

Kagome thought about it for a moment. "Pull over and try to bribe him to let me go?"

Inuyasha shook his head suddenly, frowning. "What?"

Shrugging, the girl continued. "Well, I'd fix my shirt, try to show boobs, blink a couple times, lick my lips and try to bribe him into letting me go because my stupid brother had been drunk and I needed to get him home."

Inuyasha just stared at her.

"What?" Kagome asked. "It's better than trying to find my non-existent driver's license and saying, _hey five-oh, I'm a criminal. Awesome, handcuff me_."

Finally, his stupor finished and Inuyasha scowled. "You would seriously try to bribe him with your _boobs_ and _pretty face_ to get out of a ticket? Or whatever? _Are you insane_?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "It's worked before, dumbass."

"WHAT?" Inuyasha shouted. "Do you do it for some sick sort of fun? Flashing yourself around like that?"

For a brief moment, there was a tense silence until Kagome cracked up, laughing hysterically and flopping around on the mattress. Inuyasha didn't understand what was so goddamn funny.

"Are we even on the same page here?" she asked between laughs. "Look, I was kind of teasing. I don't know what to do." She laughed again and shook her head. "Why the hell are you so riled up?"

To be honest, Inuyasha wasn't really so sure. Just the _idea_ of her sexing herself up for some dirty, masochistic cop really _bothered _him. He knew a lot of cops and fire fighters and paramedics and people that really wanted to save lives. He also knew enough of them to know that there were a lot of those people in those professions that slept around, went under the table like that so to speak. Her playing along with it?

Not okay.

With grinded teeth, Inuyasha tried to stay on topic, refusing to answer her. "If a cop flashes lights, you wake me up and step on the gas _hard_. Got it?" His voice had come out a lot rougher than he had intended but she didn't seem unhappy or scared. Just silent.

"Got it," she replied, throwing off the covers and standing up to stretch. In doing so, her top lifted, the unbuttoned jeans slid just that little bit lower to show off her thong and Inuyasha was positive he was going to need to go back to the bathroom to finish some business.

This was getting _way_ too out of hand.

Kagome caught his lingering gaze and raised a brow, standing between his legs and looking down on him. "What is your problem agent?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "Excuse me?"

"You're pissy this morning. Did you not have a good sleep?"

Inuyasha had an astounding sleep apparently, all curled up against her without even knowing it. It was that fact that made him go to the bathroom in the first place to calm the fuck down. Right now, he was just as riled up and ever so slightly aroused.

Dammit.

"Fine, I guess. You kick in your sleep."

Kagome frowned. "I do?"

Nodding, Inuyasha thought in his head that he had no fucking clue if she did or not. He had been so tired last night, she could've left the motel, stolen the car and set the place on fire and he probably wouldn't have woken up.

"Oh," she murmured, biting her lower lip and catching his gaze. "Sorry."

Goddammit woman. Now he felt like an absolute dick. She looked so guilty and she probably didn't even move when she slept. Remembering the first time they had slept in the same bed, she hadn't even shifted from his side, just remaining curled up to his chest.

Stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about it.

Fuck.

"Please, don't be sorry," Inuyasha said seriously, because he was positive if she kept worrying and kept nibbling her bottom lip, they would _not_ be leaving the motel room any time soon.

Kagome just kept looking at him, slightly worried and slightly confused. She was like an open book with her emotions sometimes and that made it much more difficult for Inuyasha to keep any sort of professional relationship with her. Or any sort of decent resolve. However, considering she was standing right in his space, he wouldn't be able to get up without her moving. So instead of touching her and making her move, since there laid potential for him to _not stop_ touching her, he waited it out.

Kagome didn't move.

"Goddammit Kagome, we really need to start leaving," Inuyasha burst, coming off as angry because he didn't know what other emotion to show that would get her away.

"You're not mad?" Kagome asked, licking her lips unconsciously and Inuyasha had the indecent thought to smack her. She had to be doing this on purpose. No woman would do this as a normal...whatever. She was being a tease to bother him and whatever else women do to get what they want!

"No," Inuyasha said lowly, trying to keep the arousal out of his voice as he looked at the ground. "Get ready. I'll be waiting."

"Okay," Kagome smiled and without warning, she reached down and scratched behind his ears, absolutely rocking his fucking world.

And then she skipped into the bathroom like it was Christmas morning, with no worry in the world.

Well, now Inuyasha had a huge fucking worry.

Grabbing the keys, Inuyasha went straight to the car. He would deal with returning the motel key in a minute. While she was occupied, he had other things to greatly occupy himself with.

Or it was going to be a very long car ride.

* * *

"Pull over Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed, shaking with anger. "This is a _good _plan. What are we going to do? Talk to Myoga and then go where? There are no hidden and remote motels in Coral! We'll be driving for hours and going nowhere!"

"We are not calling your friends to set us up," Inuyasha said calmly, eyes focused on the road. "There is no way in hell we can see them."

"I don't want to call them to catch up," Kagome bit sarcastically. "Miroku's house is huge. We can ditch the car in the back and stay at his place. No one will know a thing."

Inuyasha frowned. "How big?"

"It was his dad's and he passed it down to Miroku when he died. It's huge. We could probably drive the car right into our room."

Inuyasha glared at her. "A car?"

"Right in our room," Kagome agreed, nodding to herself before she realized exactly what she said. Quickly sneaking a glance from Inuyasha, he didn't look smug or cocky or anything she would assume he'd be. Maybe he didn't catch the slip of _our_ room. His room. Her room. It was close, right?

Instantly Inuyasha pulled over, turning the car completely around and driving away from Coral. "There's a payphone back here. Don't talk for longer than a minute, okay?"

Kagome took the change Inuyasha handed her and waited patiently until he pulled the car over so she could get out. She could feel her chest tighten at the thought of what she was about to do. How long had it been since she spoke to either Sango or Miroku? What would they do? What would they think? Slowly sliding the change in, Kagome dialled Sango's cell phone number and listened impatiently while the ringing ensued. Suddenly, a feminine voice came on, but it was hardly recognizable to Kagome.

"Sango?"

There was a long pause and suddenly, a cry broke out on the other end. "_Kagome? Is that you? Is it really you_?"

Kagome couldn't help but smile, her eyes watering at the sound of her friend's voice. "Yeah Sango. It's really me. I can't talk long. Where are you?"

"_On my way home. Why can't you talk? Where have you even been? You _never_ called me! Do you know how shitty that is_–"

Kagome tried to hold back the laugh that threatened to spill. This was just so typical of Sango. Get mad before get happy. "Is Miroku home?"

It sounded like she was gritting her teeth, probably debated between chewing her out more or thanking her for actually making a call. "_I think so_, _why? What's going on_?"

"Call Miroku. Tell him to leave the gate open for a four-door sedan. We're driving in and ditching the car in the back. I'll explain everything there but it has to be a secret. Only you and Miroku can know, got it? No one else."

"_Kagome, what is going on? Wait a minute, will you_?" Sango pleaded.

Kagome felt her throat tighten. She was already over her time limit. "Sango, I have to go. Be there, please. We'll be at Miroku's in around hour, okay? Bye."

Hanging up the phone before she could hear any more of Sango's protests, Kagome stayed there with her hand on the phone and her head down. This was going to be a long day and she wasn't particularly looking forward to all the questioning and interrogating.

"Hurry your ass up!" Inuyasha yelled out the window and Kagome sighed, shaking her head.

_Dickhead_, she thought, but she got in the car anyways.

"So?" Inuyasha asked, driving away. "What are we doing?"

Kagome took a moment to calm herself before answering him steadily. She didn't want him to see her act like a mess because she merely talked to her friend on the phone. "Let's talk to Myoga first. It's Saturday, and he typically leaves work earlier than usual. Then we can go to Miroku's. He'll have the gate unlocked for us."

It took exactly fourteen minutes to get to the RCN building, and Inuyasha didn't say one word during the drive. It wasn't until they were parking the car that Kagome finally couldn't take the golden silence anymore and decided that crying out in frustration would do some good.

Inuyasha looked at her startled, his arms locked on the wheel. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

"Why are you so quiet?" Kagome asked, giving him a pointed glare. "Usually we fight or something for the hours we're in the car, not look out the window in awkward silence. Why aren't you angry?"

"Do you want me to be angry?" Inuyasha asked, somewhat incredulous. "Are you serious? You're going to start a fight with me because I'm _not angry_?"

Kagome looked at him for a moment longer before shaking her head and sighing. "Yeah, you're right. I'm just...stressed? I don't know." She trailed off for a minute, looking out the window. "I don't know what to say to them," she whispered. "After this... They don't really handle excuses very well."

"Who? Your friends?" Inuyasha asked gently.

Kagome nodded. "They'll be insane. I can't answer everything and I can't explain to them that I _couldn't_ talk to them. They won't believe me."

"You know, I will be there. FBI agent or not, I can help." Inuyasha's voice sounded softer than usual, but maybe she was just getting used to his gruffness.

Turning to look at him, watching his intense golden eyes look down on her made her smile. "Yeah. Okay." She bit her lower lip. "How are we going to do this? Everyone knows me and everyone knows I'm wanted."

Inuyasha looked at the building, turning off the car. "Could you call him? Or, better yet, call the actual building and ask for him?"

Thinking about it, Kagome nodded. "I could but what would that do? I seriously doubt if he did give my personal information away he would readily admit it, even if he _did_ talk to me."

Inuyasha sighed, banging his head against the rest. "Any stairs or something that could lead us in without suspicion?"

"None."

"This wasn't well-planned."

"You're the FBI agent."

"Exactly. FBI agent. Not criminal with a PhD in sneaking into buildings."

"You're hilarious."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "What time does he leave?"

The clock read a quarter to five and Kagome shrugged. "Anywhere between now and midnight, basically. He works whatever hours he typically wants, but on Saturdays I think he goes out with some friends of his so...fifteen minutes?"

"I'd say wait it out and grab him just before he gets to his car," Inuyasha said. "It's not exactly the best plan, but it's better than nothing."

"What if someone comes out?" Kagome asked, biting her lip in worry. "They could call the police and then they would know that we're here."

Inuyasha stared at her, thinking back and forth between how she was right and how annoying it was when she bit her lip and looked completely vulnerable. Women shouldn't do it, as a general rule, towards men that liked to protect them. It made them feel unnecessary and unwanted emotions. Not that he was feeling any emotion towards her.

Okay, she was attractive.

And yeah, she was smart and usually witty.

Good at conversation.

Disagreeable at best, however.

Stubborn as a mule.

She argued with him a lot, which he wasn't particularly fond of.

But she had a really great figure.

She could cook amazing foods.

She at least _attempted_ to do an equal amount of work.

Why the hell was he making this list in the first place?

"Stop biting your lip," Inuyasha finally said roughly.

Kagome frowned, noticing how absurdly long it took for him to form any sort of verbal response. "You didn't answer my question."

Oh. "What was it again?" It didn't matter, because at that moment, Inuyasha caught sight of an elderly man and nudged Kagome. "Is that him?"

"Yes. That's Myoga. Now what?"

"What's his vehicle look like?"

Kagome searched the parking lot and found it: the blue SUV that she'd seen him with since she started working with RCN years ago. "That one. Right there. See it?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Follow me and stay close to my side, got it?"

"I got it," Kagome murmured back and waited until he climbed out of the car before she did so, staying close behind him as they approached Myoga, who was walking with his back to them. For a moment, Kagome felt a pang of insecurity and guilt, wondering if her poor boss really had been threatened. Worse yet, what if he hadn't given the information away and they were harassing him for no good reason? Her address wasn't exactly common knowledge, but anyone that tried hard enough could get it.

What came next happened so fast, Kagome couldn't help but gasp the moment she saw it. Inuyasha's hand grabbed Myoga's neck and he rushed him forwards into the SUV. Myoga's head hit it with a thump, though not nearly as painfully hard as Inuyasha could've done.

"You have ten seconds to tell me why you gave Kagome's personal information away," Inuyasha whispered menacingly to her boss, his body threateningly close behind. "Ten, nine–"

"Who the hell are you?" Myoga hissed and turned his head the best he could, struggling against Inuyasha's brute strength, kicking. "Let go of me."

"Tell me why you gave it away and who you gave it away to," Inuyasha repeated and refined. His voice was dangerously low. "Or it will take me all of about one second to smash your face through the window. Got it?"

"I didn't do whatever the hell you're saying!" Myoga argued, still struggling. The older man's hands were free, but Inuyasha's pressure on his back and neck was far too much for him to handle. "I didn't–"

"Myoga," Kagome finally murmured, leaning against the car so her boss could see her face. "Please. What happened? Just tell me."

"Four, three, two–"

"Kagome?" Myoga whispered, his eyes wide as he finally understood what was going on.

"One. Time's up old man," Inuyasha hissed and he pulled his arm back, taking Myoga's neck with him. He was about to force both their bodies forward into the car when Myoga shrieked an answer.

"I did it, okay? I did it!" he huffed, shaking visibly.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha who nodded, letting go of Myoga slightly. "What did you give away? To whom?"

Myoga looked at Kagome like she was a ghost, and suddenly his face went a sick green. "Oh god. I-I said where she lived. Yes. And her cell number." He grasped at the SUV with his hands, fumbling. "They didn't say why or who they were but they- they were threatening my family. Kagome? Kagome, I'm so sorry." Myoga seemed almost close to tears, and Kagome felt absolutely horrible for putting the old man through this.

"What did they look like?" Inuyasha pressed, ignoring his apologies. "Did they say anything helpful?"

Myoga didn't take his eyes off of Kagome. "No. Um, I don't think so. One guy and three women... Um, they were panther demons. I thought they were from the Panther Gang, and oh god, Kagome. You have to believe me! I didn't want to! They put my kids in danger, Kagome!" It was like saying her name meant redemption for his fault.

Kagome shushed him, giving him a small smile. "It's okay. I'm alive, see?"

Myoga's face went even paler. "Oh god. The bomb? Was that–?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, old man. And now we're criminals. Do us a favour and don't call the cops."

It was like Inuyasha wasn't there, but Myoga simply nodded. "Kagome, I swear, I'll make it up to you. I thought you were dead."

"I know," she assured, before running to the car. Now, if only Miroku and Sango would be that easy to deal with.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think!**

**Thanks for sticking with me.**


	15. Chapter 15

**I tried editing this myself but I rushed because it was so overdue.**

**If the mistakes are really bad, let me know and I'll re-edit.**

* * *

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Fifteen_

* * *

"You were pretty hard on him, Inuyasha," Kagome sighed as she held onto her seat tight, debating whether to attempt to put her seatbelt on or just cling to the leather. Inuyasha's speeding was really getting out of hand, and it didn't help that he was desperately trying to escape whatever problems that could be following them.

"Excuse me?" Inuyasha growled, ripping his eyes from the road to glare at her. "Did you not hear how he sold you out? I understand that it was for his family but _god_, Kagome he could've told you. It would've saved us from being stuck together in this mess."

Kagome worried her bottom lip as his words sank into her, stirring feelings that she didn't particularly want in her gut. _Being stuck together_. It struck her as odd that she never really thought of it like that. She never figured that she was stuck with him, she was just _with him_. It all seemed to jumble in her mind, and yet, she had been almost sure this morning that he wanted her. Never mind the fact that he practically suffocated her from holding her so tightly in bed, but when they woke up, he either couldn't look at her or when he did, it wasn't on her _face_. She must have been imagining it.

"Where's your friend's house?"

His words shook her out of her depressing thoughts and she quickly scanned the area. "Turn right two streets down, and then take it all the way to Weste. It's number 1560. You can't miss it."

When Kagome said he couldn't miss it, Inuyasha hadn't thought she'd been so literal. The very second they turned onto Weste Street, large bungalows lined the road with grand trees and mowed lawns. Everything was a little less inviting since winter, but the detail was still there, and he could hardly imagine what it would look like when it got warm again.

And then bam. Almost out of nowhere, there were large iron gates, the cursive numbers 1560 decorated in shining bronze and a winding driveway that led to what he could only call a fucking mansion and a half.

"You weren't kidding," Inuyasha remarked, whistling low and slowing the car.

Kagome didn't say much, and she hadn't since her little outburst when they first entered the car and her blunt directions. Vaguely he wondered if he said something, but knowing her, it could be anything from what he said to the colour of the sky. "See that little garage? Turn sharply after it and just start driving on the grass. There's a forest at the far back and we can dump the car there."

So much for conversation. Giving her a pointed look, he shrugged and did as he was told, driving until the forest came into view minutes later and then driving it through heavy foliage.

"Do you think it'll be alright in there?" Inuyasha asked, trying to narrow his eyes and see if the colour flashed through the trees.

Kagome shook her head, studying it as well. They were several lengths from the tree line and both were careful to make sure that there was heavy foliage above and around the vehicle. She couldn't see it at all, and she hoped it couldn't be seen from the sky. Mind you, she didn't think helicopters would be looking for them anyways.

They walked towards the house in silence and Inuyasha figured that it was going to be a solid ten minute walk until they reached the very back of the mansion. Kagome was still unusually quiet and in her own world. Her eyes were fixed on their destination but the fact that she was biting her lip constantly was a dead giveaway to her thoughts. And just to point it out, that lip nibbling thing was driving him up the wall.

"So," Inuyasha said slowly, hoping to stop her torment. "Anything I should know?"

"About what?" Kagome asked, genuinely surprised for some reason completely unknown to him.

"Well these are your friends and I shouldn't look like a total ass," he continued, not particularly sure where he was going with this. In all honesty it shouldn't matter, because it was not like he was going to ever see them after this ordeal was over with.

"Oh, okay," she replied, frowning a bit. At least she stopped worrying her bottom lip. "Well Miroku Tsujitani owns the house. I told you it was from his father, inherited after he passed away. There was enough money for Miroku to never have to work a day in his life, but he does so anyways so that when he has children it can be used for their college and stuff like that."

It was Inuyasha's turn to frown. He remembered meeting him for the first time at his gym, after crazy-woman here almost got herself killed. He seemed nice enough, but he was already planning for kids? Did he even have a girlfriend?

"It's sweet, I think," Kagome continued on, oblivious of his frown because she had taken it upon herself not to look at him. "Sango doesn't have a lot of money, and with Miroku saving it would make their lives a lot easier."

Wait, Sango? Wasn't she the one that originally called him a total dick? The best friend that sided with the best friend just because she had to? Unknowingly, Inuyasha interrupted Kagome, who had started to talk about Sango now and her hard family life.

"Wait a minute," he started, waving a hand in the air dismissively. "Miroku and Sango are together?"

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "No, why would you think that? You've only ever seen them once." _Oh god, don't remember that day_, she thought to herself. The embarrassment could kill her alone.

"But didn't you just say something about saving money for future kids or something like that?"

"Yeah. Miroku's saving up, I said that like fifty times already."

Inuyasha gave her a glare to point out her unnecessary exaggeration. "But didn't you say Sango didn't have a lot of money and because of Miroku it will make _their_ lives easier?"

Suddenly, Kagome laughed. It was the first time he had heard the sound in hours and the fact that she found what he said so funny was completely over his head, but he preferred it when she was happier. "Oh, you wouldn't realize I guess," she said, still laughing but trying to calm down. "I've known these two for a long while now. They're not together – Miroku and Sango – but they're _together_. It's not official and as far as I know they haven't even _kissed_. But it's obvious that they love each other. They're just too dumb to admit it."

Did anything that just came out of her mouth make any sense? How difficult was it to get a date? Seriously.

Kagome continued to smile. "But that's it really. Those are the only people of any importance."

"Sango and Miroku?"

Kagome nodded, and then fell into silent step beside him again, focused on the house still a bit away. "You know, I am really sorry," she whispered, sneaking a glance at his perfect face.

"For what?" Inuyasha demanded, scowling. What _now_? Why was she always sorry for things that didn't make sense to him?

Kagome sighed. "Not that I think this whole thing is about me, but the only reason you were dragged into this was because we started fighting back at the station. And I'm sorry that because of it, you got stuck with me."

_Stuck with me_. Jesus Christ. Was she really that stupid? Inuyasha looked at her solemn face; pale skin, big brown eyes and soft lips. Sometimes, he wondered if something was seriously wrong with him for wanting her so unnecessarily bad. It's not like she was the hottest chick he had ever seen, or the smartest. Damn, to his own head he sounded like some cliché idiot because the thought "_but she tries so hard_" flew into his head. Something was seriously, seriously wrong.

"Is that why you had that stick up your ass?" Inuyasha finally said heavily, glaring at her. "Because I said I was _stuck with you_ and you instantly assumed that I meant it in a bad way?"

"A stick up _my ass_?" Kagome asked, raising her voice while she stopped walking. She crossed her arms and stared right back at him. If only looks could kill. "Oh yeah? Who starts all the fights?"

"You," Inuyasha replied, completely at a loss because he was just trying to figure out what was the matter with her and bam! She was angry again. Like always. Goddamn.

"_Right_," she said slowly. "My apologies."

"And I thought you would never come around," Inuyasha muttered.

"It was sarcasm!"

Inuyasha sighed, running his hands quickly through his hair. "Kagome, why are you yelling at me again?"

Kagome opened her mouth, knowing the answer. It wasn't hard to figure out why she was yelling at him. He made the crude remark about why she was so upset, but to be honest, she wanted to tell him that he was pissing her off because he was insensitive, rude, offending and he _always_ made her want to hit her head against a wall in frustration. "Look, let's just forget this," she said simply before stomping off towards the house again.

"Oh no you don't," Inuyasha exclaimed, grabbing her wildly swinging arm and pulling her close. Her back hit his chest and he was more than amazed that she wasn't even struggling. He sighed. This was getting way too out of control. "I don't think of it as being stuck with you. I'm glad I am, okay? But with us both being almost killed a thousand times now, it's just not a great situation."

If anything, Kagome slumped further against him. She looked ahead in the distance, where the sun was setting below the roof of the house now. It was dinner time, and she wondered how late Miroku and Sango would make her stay up to explain everything. All she wanted to do was go to sleep and never wake up.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice was softer than usual and she turned around, feeling the grip he had on her arm tighten.

"I heard you and thanks," she murmured, looking into his amber eyes and realizing just how close they were. Their bodies were almost flush and she was definitely in his space.

Barely enough for her to be sure, Inuyasha's head lowered and if Kagome didn't know any better she would say he was looking at her lips. "Don't be mad," he murmured sternly, trying to glare at her with his golden eyes.

"Um, okay," she whispered and mentally slapped herself. There was no need for her voice to get all throaty on her. This was unbelievable.

Inuyasha watched her, the way her eyes flickered with his every single movement. She was looking at him like he was the best damn thing, and something that he surely never felt before flipped in his stomach. It wasn't particularly a nice feeling, more unsettling than anything else. But he figured out what it meant and that's probably why he didn't waste any time in closing the distance between their lips and kissing her.

It was nothing like the kiss in the kitchen back at his cottage. Where the first one had been sporadic and _hot_, this was softer and gentler. She wasn't tearing at his clothes and his arms were doing nothing but wrapping around her hips. Not like any of this made sense. There was no reason for him to be kissing her. She had been upset with him for another reason that he had yet to fully understand.

But he couldn't stop. It was weird, the feeling that kissing her gave him. It was stupid to think of it as undeniable love because that surely couldn't be it. Yet, kissing her felt so much better than not, and being near her made him feel stronger than when she was gone.

Which was utterly insane because as proven before, Kagome being near him was usually a death sentence, with all the hits, bullets and her own failure to use a weapon.

Her arms snaked around his neck and she pulled him closer to her. Mouth parting, tongues dancing and Inuyasha didn't waste any time in possessing her, making sure that she was thoroughly and roughly his. Someone moaned, he couldn't be sure who but suddenly his hair was being gently tugged as her hands climbed higher and higher to his ears and–

_Jesus Christ._

Inuyasha did moan that time, and he was starting to debate whether the back seat of the car they just hid would be a viable spot.

"Kagome!"

Goddammit.

Kagome jumped and turned out of his arms, her face a red mess but she smiled as she saw Miroku and Sango driving on a golf cart towards them.

"You've got to be kidding me," Inuyasha stated, not sure as to whether it was directed towards the golf cart, or their interruption.

As if nothing had just happened Kagome started to run towards them, Sango jumping out and hugging her relentless.

"We were so worried!" Sango panted, burying her face in her friend's shoulder.

"I couldn't contact you, in case–"

"We really should be talking outside," Inuyasha interrupted, turning all three heads towards him. "It's better if we're inside, preferably in a room with no windows."

"Don't I know you?" Miroku asked, studying Inuyasha for a moment before turning wildly towards Kagome. "You've been with _him_?"

Ah. Kagome completely forgot that Sango and Miroku would've had no clue who she was with, if she was with anyone. She hadn't been expecting to meet her mysteriously hot gym superhero as the FBI agent waiting to question her. Sango and Miroku surely had no idea.

"Um, yeah," she started lamely, nodding her head. "This is FBI Agent Inuyasha Taisho. He, uh, saved me. Kind of."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha growled. "What do you mean kind of? You mean I did. Countless times already."

Kagome shook her head to stop him but Sango caught on. "Countless times?"

"Well, we've been shot at a few times."

Inuyasha scoffed. "A few? Try, you almost ate it from a hitman."

Kagome could've killed Inuyasha right then.

"Kagome! And you didn't call us?" Miroku exclaimed, still looking at Inuyasha stupidly.

"That's the reason _why_. I couldn't let that happen to you!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt again, but inside?" Inuyasha repeated.

"He's right," Miroku agreed, ushering everyone towards the golf cart where they got on and drove to the house. It definitely beat walking.

Walking inside the mansion, in Inuyasha's opinion, was like walking into a castle. He hadn't been into many homes like this, and with good reason. The walk from the door to the living room was a journey he'd already forgotten. He tried to ignore Kagome and Sango talking in hushed tones, focusing more on the windows and lighting to make sure they couldn't be seen. It's not like they had any other choice in the matter, but Inuyasha had a distinct feeling that something was going to go really wrong. They had managed to escape everyone for a couple days.

Something bad was bound to happen.

"Sango, I'll tell you everything, I promise," Kagome said firmly, already sounding extremely tired.

She turned left, already knowing where the living room was and everyone followed, Inuyasha standing closest to the entrance.

"Is this okay?" Miroku asked, nodding towards the shuttered blinds and dark surroundings. "I don't really know what's been happening but–"

"It's fine, really," Inuyasha answered, giving a small smirk. "You're quiet."

Miroku broke into a smile. "You don't even know me."

Inuyasha just shrugged. "When I met you a week ago at the gym, you didn't seem like the quiet type."

"Observant," he replied, turning back to look at the two girls sitting side-by-side on the couch. "Sango was really worried, and that didn't help my case at all," he murmured in a low voice. "They've been best friends for a long while, partners at work... Sango was an absolute mess."

Inuyasha nodded. He'd heard similar stories from many other people before. He'd worked a lot of cases with missing persons, and dealing with the family left behind was never easy. "Kagome... I'm not sure what to say about her. She handled herself well, I guess. It's not easy."

Sango's shriek filled the air before Miroku could respond, and the boys looked at the two girls in worry.

"Miroku, there was a _bomb_ in her purse!" Sango exclaimed, her wide magenta eyes searching his face. "How- How is that possible?"

"It's not hard," Inuyasha answered, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Her purse is left in the kitchen, gang members get her information and all it is from there is a simple B and E. You can learn to make bombs on the Internet."

"That's what blew up the building?" Miroku asked, looking stunned. "That explains a lot I guess. Why you disappeared..."

Kagome nodded. "Inuyasha and I had been...outside when it went off. I had forgotten my purse in the room and just before I was going to go in... Well you know. We took my car and drove off, and after that we put the pieces together."

"That someone was trying to kill you?" Sango asked. "What about the hired killer Inuyasha was talking about?"

Kagome's face went a little pale and Inuyasha couldn't help but remember those hours clearer than anything else in his mind.

"Inuyasha was trying to get some information..."

Her voice drowned out as he remembered. The rushed drive there as he tried to get to the papers in time before the FBI. How stressed he was that all of the bullshit was happening to _him_ and how he didn't need it. He thought he was home free when Tekkei called his cell, worried as hell and all he could think about then was _not Kagome. Not her_. What did she do to deserve that?

He should never have left her. Those hours he spent away probably felt a lot longer to her. Attacked. Beaten. Chained to a bathtub of ice water to freeze her body to screw up time of death and then... Strangling her on his bed so that it looked like an affair gone wrong. Mixed with a bit of terrorism.

"And t-that's when Inuyasha came. He, uh, shot the guy. I didn't see but I heard. He got me out of there..." Kagome's voice had gone incredibly quiet and while he had been lost in his thoughts, Miroku had moved to sit on the other side of Kagome, an arm wrapped around her shoulder. She wasn't crying though, and Inuyasha couldn't help but watch her solemn face with horror.

He should've been there faster, but that was in the past.

Trying to pull his eyes away, Inuyasha was startled when magenta eyes caught his, and he was momentarily trapped in Sango's gaze. Before he could read into it, the best friend had looked away, tending to Kagome.

"More happened after that–" Kagome started, but Inuyasha pushed himself off the wall. He wasn't going to let this go on when she was clearly exhausted and not up to the memories of near death.

"You should get to bed," Inuyasha pressed, meeting her eyes and trying to give a soft smile.

"He's right, Kagome," Miroku agreed, and Inuyasha already found himself liking the guy. "I have your rooms already made up."

Kagome hesitated for a long while, watching the ground like it was the most interesting flooring in the world. Slowly she nodded and stood, Sango wrapping her arms around her to help her to the room. "Do you want me to stay with you in the other bed?" the best friend asked, already knowing that Kagome was staying the room they slept in on New Years.

Kagome shook her head. "No, don't worry. I'm fine, really." She tried to put on a strong face but knew it looked as fake as it felt. "I'm exhausted."

Sango took a look down the hall at Miroku, who was showing Inuyasha to his room. "Can I, uh, talk to you for a minute?"

Frowning, Kagome nodded and stepped inside. "Really, Sango, I'm doing okay. Inuyasha saved me and he's been taking care of me ever since."

"About that," Sango murmured, shutting the door. "What's going on with you two?"

"Who two?"

Sango rolled her eyes. "Kagome, you can't get away from me."

Sighing, she held out a moment before answering. "Okay. Inuyasha and I – what about us?"

"When you were talking... He was staring at you so... I don't know how to explain it."

"Worried?" Kagome asked. "He was pretty shaken up when it happened. It's not every day something like that goes on. He thought we were safe when we weren't."

"Not worried," Sango replied, shaking her head. "Though that was probably there too. I mean, he looked at you like...you know, a guy looks at a girl..."

Kagome bit her lower lip. "I'm not understanding. Are you saying I'm not a girl?"

"I'm saying he looks like he, you know, wants you."

She burst out laughing at that, shaking her head. "Don't worry. It's nothing, really." The laughter was a cover-up for what she was really thinking about. The kiss they had just shared before Miroku and Sango interrupted. She couldn't figure out what was going on between them, between the whole messed up situation – all of it was just overwhelming.

"I don't think it's nothing," Sango commented, giving her friend a look. "What's happened? Hug? Kiss?"

"Oh we haven't _hugged_," Kagome replied, trying to remember. They hadn't, had they?

"You've kissed?" Sango exclaiming, eyes wide. "When?"

Grumbling, she didn't answer right away. "Well you guys kind of surprised us back there..."

"Kagome!"

Sighing, Kagome opened the door. "We can talk about this tomorrow," she said dismissively. She needed to figure it out herself and in her head before she discussed it out loud. She might end up saying something she'd regret.

"I told you so," Sango murmured, smiling wickedly. "Mr. Sexy just couldn't stay away."

* * *

Yura watched from the window, noting how the lights darkened in certain areas as they walked and moved; little steps in the massive house. She had her orders. She knew what she needed to do.

She checked the bullets and smiled to herself. Target locked.

* * *

**And don't worry, Sesshomaru will be back. It's only been a day, so I can have them together _yet_.**

**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	16. Chapter 16

**I wanted this to be posted sooner. Sorry.**

**By the way, THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed. You are all truly the best. Over two-hundred reviews for sixteen chapters? You're all my heroes and I'm glad you actually enjoy the little ramblings of my mind. It makes me all tingly inside (in a good way).**

**Kinky-Hoe, darling, I was not planning this ending but I had your wishes in mind so I changed it. It's getting there, promise.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

* * *

**

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Sixteen

* * *

_

Kagome bolted; body tense and muscles clenching as she sat up in bed. In the darkness, she couldn't see how white her knuckles were, or how her cheeks were flushed so unbelievably red she looked like she'd just run a marathon. Eyes wide open, searching the shadows but knowing nothing is actually there, it's just a _trick_...

"Fuck," she cursed, slowly lowering herself back down on the pillows. The dream... It was horrible. She tried to recall what it was about, but found the information to be a little fuzzy. She was running, not down a hallway like most dreams, but down a flight of stairs. Each bounding step forced the wood to creak, but it didn't matter because... Something.

Kagome groaned and rolled over onto her side. She hadn't had a bad dream in a while – especially one that forced her to sit right up with sweat dripping down her face. "Stupid," she muttered into the darkness. Maybe her mind was playing some sort of trick on her, since things had been so slow recently. They hadn't been shot at for a whole – what? – two days.

Must be a new bloody record.

And who could be shooting at her/him/them? It was a jumble as to what was even happening. The hitman from the cottage... That was directed towards her. But towards Inuyasha as well. Right?

Kagome sighed and shook her head against the soft pillow, trying to forget it and go back to sleep.

Her mind had other ideas.

Yes. When she was attacked at the cottage it had been meant to kill her, with just a little bonus of blaming Inuyasha on the side. Them driving to find out the tranquilizer gun though? Kagome could only assume that was for her as well. But then _why_? Inuyasha said it was a lot bigger than just her. So what _involved_ her but was _bigger_ than her?

The whole mess started after she spoke of the potential suspects – the Brotherhood Mafia and the Panther Gang. Myoga said it was the Panther Gang that put the bomb in her purse, so obviously they were the first to look into, right? And Inuyasha swore the hitman was from the Mafia, so clearly that should be looked into, right?

But she was already gone. She was a suspect for terrorism, so why even bother? She was going to be locked up forever if the FBI found her anyways.

What if... What if it wasn't who she spoke of but _what_? The whole business with Naraku Morikawa and his drug ring. What if the hits put on them were because they were searching for the truth that involved the drugs? What if finding who was trying to kill them would lead to the clues of who was involved in Naraku's drug trafficking cartel? High-up people? Major corporations? Some of them would _know_ those people in the Brotherhood Mafia...maybe even the Panthers.

"Jesus," Kagome muttered, flipping over the covers and jumping out of bed. If she was right...Inuyasha would know what to do. He would understand her logic. She ran out of the bedroom, landing lightly on her feet so that no one would hear her. Surely not Sango or Miroku. Just down the hall was Inuyasha's new bedroom, and she quickly turned the knob before stepping inside and shutting the door.

"Kagome, what the _hell_ are you doing in my room?" Inuyasha asked. His voice sounded rough and sleepy, so she figured the sound of the door opening and closing woke him up.

"I think I know what's going on," Kagome answered quickly, stepping cautiously over to the bed and crawling on it. The room was pitch black and other than the bumps where his legs were, Kagome had no idea where the FBI agent was.

"Something's going on?" Inuyasha asked tiredly. He sounded grumpy.

"Wake up! Yes, I was thinking about what you said and I think I know now why we're being targeted."

"Fucking joy. Go to bed."

Kagome rolled her eyes and crawled up further until her hands gently found his face. "Inuyasha?"

When no sound came, she slapped him.

Inuyasha growled, smacking her hand away. "Dammit Kagome, this is a _bed_. I'm sleeping for once!"

"And I won't remember in the morning!"

Inuyasha sighed, his hot breath tickling her skin and she bit her lower lip, forcing down the memories of when that tickled her neck and the heat spread throughout her body...

"Fine, tell me wench."

* * *

Yura was a lot smarter than most killers. She had learned from a young age that getting inside a place with top-notch security was far more difficult than the movies made it seem. Sure, there was a bypass. Sure, you could do some of that magic re-wiring crap and fix it.

No, she couldn't do any of that shit.

But Yura made do. While Inuyasha and Kagome were ditching the car, she watched and waited while Miroku and Sango left the house.

Unarmed.

Completely open for her taking.

She knew it would be far too risky to wait inside, so she found a room tucked in the back with a window. If the dust was anything to go by, the room was never much used. She managed to open the window, wedge something in between it and shut it so that it appeared closed. All she had to do when the time was right was use those nails of hers and pry it open.

Well, damn that she broke three in the process. However, the money she was getting paid for this job was far too appealing and worth much more.

The window finally open, Yura once more checked her belt, making sure everything was where it should be. The safety was on.

With a wicked grin, Yura climbed in.

Time to kill Kagome Higurashi.

* * *

Inuyasha felt just a tad bit stupid for not realizing it sooner.

Kagome was right and more than that, she was practically on top of everything – the reasons for each shot, each place it occurred. He wondered how long it took for her to think it all through, and why she wasn't sleeping like he was. He also wondered if she was still wearing a bra, but he tried to not think about that while just sleeping in his boxers. They were in her friend's guest bedroom for fuck's sake.

Not that he cared, but she might.

"So now we just have to figure out who could be behind the scenes," Kagome finished, nodding to herself or to him. He couldn't really tell in the darkness.

"It could be anyone," Inuyasha concluded, trying to think past the haze of drowsiness. "But we could check it out. I can try and talk to Shippo. Maybe he can find any link in the paperwork side of things. There's not much we can do, but we can go through the steps of searching out the Panther Gang, then the Mafia, and so on. There has to be a trail somewhere. If we start at point A and Shippo starts at point C, we'll make it to B one way or another."

Kagome nodded, yawning and resting her head in her hands. She was currently lying on her stomach, her chin propped up and facing the headboard. "I don't think I can sleep now," she confided, sighing. "I'm too worked up. It all makes sense right?"

_Dammit_. All Inuyasha wanted to do was sleep. Or for her to leave so he could suffer in sexual pain on his own. Not while she was so close and so not wearing enough (or too much, depending on which side of the fence he was on).

"I'm thirsty," Inuyasha said suddenly, deciding that he needed the cool air to relax himself.

"I'll come," Kagome yawned but Inuyasha pushed her back down on the mattress softly.

"No, stay there. I'll get it. I think I can manage to find the kitchen." Well, he hoped he could.

"It's down the hall, past my bedroom," Kagome murmured quietly. "You take the first left, follow that down to the end. Turn right, then the next first right is the kitchen."

"Jesus Christ," he whispered under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing, go to sleep," he muttered, pushing out the hall and grabbing his t-shirt. He slipped the cotton over his head just in time to hear the creaking of a door. He stopped dead still as he listened. The creak hadn't come from behind him, where his room was and it hadn't come from Sango or Miroku's because that was a lot further down and would've sounded a lot quieter.

Shit.

Praying that Kagome wasn't stupid enough to follow him or smart enough to go to her own bedroom and sleep, Inuyasha snuck forward, each step barely audible even to his own ears.

He couldn't hear or see anything and he waited in the dark hallway for any suggestion of movement. He would wait and listen and _goddammit_ he knew this would all go south. Why the fuck hadn't he been paying attention? Who would be attacking them now?

There was a barely audible shuffle, and Inuyasha tensed his body, ready to spring and pounce and attack if necessary.

Fuck, he prayed it was just Miroku and Sango checking in on her...

But he knew it wasn't the moment the scent of flowery perfume hit his sense of smell and he could barely contain the growl in his voice. The movement started towards the door and Inuyasha pressed himself as close to the wall as he possibly could.

Closer.

Closer.

Whoever was in Kagome's room was approaching the hallway quickly, and Inuyasha didn't have to wait long to pounce.

"Shit," a feminine voice cursed, a sound of pain leaking from her lips as her head smashed to the flooring.

"Who the fuck are you?" Inuyasha hissed, grabbing the woman's wrists and pinning her down.

The woman beneath him laughed. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Before he could process what she was doing, he felt pain shoot through his left leg and he was thrown sideways into the hardwood. The woman was crawling away from him, using his distraction to attempt safety. And that's when Inuyasha saw it: the glint of a metallic grey in the darkness.

Fuck, why did they always have a gun?

His instincts rammed into overdrive, pushing him to lunge forward. Her hand was already heading towards the gun at her hip and in a flash he had her thrown back to the ground, her gun falling from her grasp and scattering across the wood.

"Inuyasha, what's the fuss?"

His head shot up without warning, Kagome standing in the doorway with half-lidded eyes. She was mid-yawn and stretching, oblivious to the struggle in the darkness. In his moment of weakness, manicured hands dug into his chest and thrust him backwards. He stumbled; catching himself and bracing to get forwards again but it was almost too late.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed, finally realizing the trouble they were in. She ran back into the bedroom, emerging seconds later with ragged breaths.

"Get inside!" Inuyasha yelled, scrambling to hold the woman that was clawing her way towards her gun just inches from her fingertips.

"I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it!" Kagome shouted, and instantly Inuyasha looked up, realizing that she _did_ and fuck how did she find his gun?

The woman laughed, forcing Inuyasha back into action as he grabbed her leg and hauled her back towards him just as she reached for the gun. He pinned her down, his legs forcibly pressuring her arms as his hands wrapped around her head.

This wasn't going to be good.

Kagome just stood there, watching with absolutely no sense as to what to do. She had a gun – that much she understood but if the woman had actually reached for the gun... Could she even shoot it? And yet there she struggled, reaching closer and closer and it was almost time. She would have to kill her, right?

And then she was dragged back down, being pinned by Inuyasha. What was he going to do? Guns would make noise. Evidence that she didn't know how to destroy would be everywhere – blood, bullet hole, GSR...

A loud crack silenced the room and Kagome stood, still holding the gun in front of her but shaking like it would bite at any moment. The mystery woman went still in Inuyasha's arms and he dropped her, immediately getting up and taking the gun from her hands.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome murmured. Her voice was barely above a whisper, her body quivering with dread for what she just saw.

"Come on," he pressed, his own voice soft as his hand turned her around by the shoulders. "Go back to my room. Stay in there and for god's sake don't shoot unless someone besides me comes in."

"What just happened? Did you just–?" She couldn't say the words because she didn't know how to feel. Inuyasha just _killed_ the woman, whoever she was. What was she doing there? Why did she have a gun? Did Inuyasha actually just kill her?

Inuyasha's mouth formed a hard line as he gently directed her to the bedroom. He pushed her onto the bed, laying the gun on the nightstand and looking at her with dark eyes. The blackness of the room made everything dark.

She wasn't sure how safe she felt at this moment.

"Inuyasha? Who was that?" Kagome begged, struggling to get off the bed but Inuyasha blocked her way, his hands on her arms.

"She was trying to kill you," Inuyasha said quietly. "I didn't have a choice."

"Kill me?" Everything was doing that crazy spin motion in her mind, making every word directed towards her hard to grasp. "But–"

Inuyasha's fingers touched her lips, forcing her to stop talking. "She was in your room looking for you. If you hadn't been with me–" He shook his head, pushing the thought of her dead and bleeding away. "I'm going to get your friends. They must have heard us, especially you. I'd rather they didn't run into the body."

Kagome bit her lower lip. _The body_. The fact the woman had been in her room still had yet to process. "This house is disturbingly well insulated. Sound doesn't travel much here. I wouldn't be surprised if neither of them were awake."

Inuyasha nodded. "Stay here. Kagome, I mean it okay? Stay right here. I'm going to close the door. You're going to lock it and then stay on the bed. I'm going to knock four times, pause, and then another two. That means it's me and you can open it. Otherwise, you stay in here and you don't move, don't speak."

His tone of voice was so deep and frightening that she couldn't imagine disobeying him.

Inuyasha walked out the door and waited impatiently for the sound of the lock clicking into place. Seconds later a click came, and Inuyasha rushed towards the body of the woman still dead on the floor.

Fuck.

He should have known. Goddammit, he should have known. He was walking into a fucking trap and he knew it. _This house is disturbingly well insulated. Sound doesn't travel much here_. Had he not left the room to get some air, they could've been taken by surprise. Sango could've been shot. Miroku could've been shot. And how would that look? The FBI wasn't stupid and they would make the connection between Kagome's close friends and them. This was the last thing he fucking needed.

He bent down, pointedly trying not to look at the overturned angle of the woman's head. He snapped her neck, his mind thinking of the only option that didn't leave much in the way of evidence. What else was he supposed to do?

The gun was just a foot away and he stripped off his t-shirt, wishing he had actually grabbed some pants instead of remaining in his boxers. With the cotton around his hand, he picked up the gun, examining it as best he could in the dark.

Fuck. Oh sweet Jesus, fuck.

"_Fuck_!" Inuyasha swore out loud, unable to think of a better word for the situation. His gut had been right dammit and now he really was screwed. Everything was connected, like Kagome said. The murder he had been investigating. Naraku's drug ring. The attacks on him and Kagome.

Shit shit shit shit shit. _Dammit_.

The gun was a Glock for fuck's sake. The same fucking gun that killed Gatenmaru Koyasu, his murder victim. It couldn't be a coincidence.

_Fuck_.

He had to put the pieces together, but he didn't have time right now. In this instant, he had bigger worries. Kagome's safety was top priority, but so was Miroku's and Sango's since they're position had obviously been compromised. Wrapping the gun snugly in his t-shirt, he placed it back on the ground before turning to the dead woman and arranging her neck in a not-so-disgusting way.

"Shit," he muttered, unsure of what else he could say to make himself feel better.

He walked quietly down the hall; senses alert even though he figured no one else would be here. If they had, they would've saved the woman, or shot him and Kagome when they had the chance. He made it to the far end, turning to the right where Sango's room apparently was. He had watched her enter the frame, after staring longingly at Miroku.

Maybe Kagome was right about them.

Not that he really should be caring about that.

He knocked on the door loudly, waiting a second before fear gripped him. He knocked again. "Sango? Are you in there?"

No answer. Fuck. Again.

Taking a step back, he wasted no time in kicking down the door, bursting into the room with his fists up.

Nothing. There was no one in the bedroom.

Inuyasha rushed out, heart pounding because maybe this was bigger than he imagined. Maybe there were more of them and the woman had only been targeting them two while others took Kagome's friends out. Maybe he was going to be shot at any second, in his boxers and nothing else...

He didn't think twice before he kicked down the door to Miroku's room and ran in, ducking low, scanning the room.

Maybe this was some conspiracy.

Maybe he was dead already.

Maybe this was some fucked up personal hell because of all the people he'd killed in his line of work.

Maybe–

"What the hell?" Miroku's deep voice boomed and Inuyasha looked at the bed, surprised, startling at the sound of a live voice.

Maybe Sango was sleeping with Miroku.

Maybe Kagome was a little naive as to what was going on with her friends.

They hadn't kissed. Yeah, his ass.

Sango held the sheets tight to her, her pink tank top twisted on her body and her hair wild. She blinked warily, trying to figure out what was going on. Miroku wasn't much better, climbing out of the bed on high alert because an FBI agent had just broken down his bedroom door in only boxers.

Inuyasha growled. "Get clothes on. Get out of bed. Get packed. Now."

He had been so terrified moments ago he didn't know what to do with himself. He had been literally losing his mind. Kagome and him had been targets of multiple kill shots and an attack on the house they were in had just been made.

"What's going on?" Sango asked. Her voice was high-pitched as she clambered out, trying to fix her night shorts.

"There's a dead woman in your hallway," Inuyasha snapped. "I don't know what the fuck kind of insulation you have here but Kagome was almost _killed_. The fucking bitch got in somehow and she was here to kill Kagome."

"Where is she? Is she okay?" Miroku asked. He was already beside the agent, pushing to go through the door to find his friend.

"She's locked tight in my room. That's where she's going to stay to until I get her. Right now, you need to leave. Escape somewhere. I suggest Sango calls in sick for a week and you get someone else to run your gym. You need to disappear fast."

Sango looked panicked. "There's a dead woman in the hallway? Is there blood? What do I do?"

"No blood," Inuyasha responded, shaking his head. "I'll get rid of the body but you need to pack up and leave, like I said. You need to go on a vacation, right away."

"What about Kagome?" Miroku asked, worry crossing his features. "Can't you stay–?"

Instantly, Inuyasha interrupted. "We've been with you for a couple hours and this happened. It's safer apart, that's all I can say." He didn't wait any longer. He grabbed the bundle of cotton shirt from the ground and raced towards his temporary room, knocking properly so Kagome would know it was him.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, opening the door and looking horribly vulnerable. She hastily turned on the lights, her eyes skimming his barely clothed body before returning to his face. "What's going on?"

"We're packing up," he answered, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let us come. I knew this would happen." He growled, pissed off with himself for not seeing this sooner. He should've known this would happen – this big fucked up piece of shit mixed in with every other possible crap imaginable. He should've insisted she stay with him. He should've heard something beforehand.

He should've done a lot of things better.

And as he looked at her deep chocolate eyes, he knew he was fucked. He knew that nothing was going to be okay again. She looked too scared, too fragile.

And he knew that it was only going to be a matter of time before the inevitable came.

Because Inuyasha knew that he couldn't be without her.

He didn't hesitate. He didn't think.

He grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her, because he couldn't imagine doing anything else.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed. Please, let me know what you think of this chapter, or of any errors to fix. I've been writing so much (about pornography, go figure) so I'm positive words are blurring uncontrollably.**


	17. Chapter 17

**One: Because of my ridiculous near exam time, I have an "Author's Update" section on my profile page. That will be updated frequently, and will let you know how far I am with certain stories, along with when I'm expecting it to be posted.**

**Two: This is a TEASER. Don't hate me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

* * *

**

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Seventeen

* * *

_

The kiss ended far too quickly, and Kagome was left gasping, lungs pulling in air as she tried to understand what just happened.

Okay, so he kissed her. Again.

"Inuyasha," she breathed, reaching forwards to touch his body, the skin flushed warm. "What–?"

He bent down, his arms slipping from the back of her neck to low on her waist, dragging her against him. His skin was practically on fire, the thin fabric of his boxers his only barrier from her. "We need to go. Get your stuff and talk to Miroku and Sango. I'll be out front soon. Meet me there."

Of course he wouldn't explain any of this. Kagome could barely grasp one thing from the next. He just burst into the room and kissed her. He just pulled her against him and whispered in her ear. Inuyasha wasn't going to explain their infrequent though rather insane kisses, even if it had been their last moment on earth.

She wished she could explain the kisses herself because as far as she was aware, he was only lusting for her. But that kiss – the one currently leaving her breathless, unsteady and weak – was _not_ lusting. It was sad and broken and so damn needy that Kagome wished it either hadn't happened or hadn't stopped.

Why wasn't her heart slowing down?

And she knew the reason. Kagome understood why she wanted the kisses and the touches. She wasn't in a romance novel but she sure wish she was.

Falling for an FBI agent – yeah, like that wasn't every writer's dream.

And dammit it happened.

Kagome wanted to say something. She wanted to tell him to stay with her. Hell, to keep kissing her. Instead of any of those things, she felt his fingers lift her chin and his lips claim hers. She didn't say a word. She didn't protest.

She wanted it too much, dammit.

He was the first to pull away, his breath warm touches on her cheeks as he walked around her to his bag. "I'm going to get rid of the body and be back with another car. I don't know how long I'm going to be, but I want you ready to leave. Sango and Miroku too."

"They're coming with us?" Kagome asked, frowning. Hadn't they just been kissing? Was it really so hard to talk about _the thing_ between them compared to dead bodies and leaving?

Apparently so.

"No. They're going on vacation for a while," he replied, throwing on a pair of jeans and a thick sweater he had grabbed from the cottage. "You should talk to them for a bit."

Kagome continued to watch him, her lips still tingling and she wondered if asking him to slow down would do any good. As much as she didn't think so, she needed this cleared up because she wasn't going to be the desperate damsel clinging to her knight in shining armour when he didn't even want it.

She didn't just want sex like she wanted before. That changed when he kissed her the second time, just hours ago. As strange as the quick switch seemed, it made perfect sense to Kagome.

She didn't want hot and fast, she wanted slow and passionate.

Shit.

Inuyasha was brushing past her quickly, before Kagome could even think of words to make him stay a little bit longer. His bag was over his shoulder, ready to leave, and Kagome wasn't sure why she felt so stupid, so weak and confused.

Okay, she figured out she loved an FBI agent.

People were still trying to kill her.

Said FBI agent killed a woman who was trying to kill her.

And, of course, they were on the run again.

But _why_ was this concept so hard for her to grasp? Why was her head fuzzy and her thoughts whirling a million miles an hour?

"Inuyasha?" she whispered, trying to lift through the fog and see in the darkness.

He stopped just at the door, his amber eyes focused down the hall – probably where the body was. "What Kagome?" he asked. He didn't sound confused like she did.

"I... You're going to come back right?" It was all she could think of. She couldn't tell him – not now when she didn't know how he felt. But the words were screaming in her head, and she felt like if she didn't say something soon, it was going to go downhill. Something was going to go wrong.

Again.

Like their life was ever a piece of cake.

A frown flittered across his face and she tucked her lower lip between her teeth, holding back the screaming words; holding back this weird and overwhelming feeling that was crashing inside her like tidal waves.

He must have noticed something; his expression softened and his eyes, so perfectly made, gazed at her like she was the only one in the entire world. He looked determined and Kagome couldn't understand why.

"Of course, I'll be back. I wouldn't leave without you." He took a step towards her, the determined look in his eyes gleaming in the inky blackness of the room. His arm lifted to her face and she didn't take her eyes off of his while he swept wild strands of her hair back. "Be safe."

Kagome thought he was going to kiss her again. She thought he was going to do _something_. The look in his eyes was nothing like she'd ever seen before.

But he just turned and left, and suddenly she felt cold. She shivered, crossing her arms and listening in the darkness as Inuyasha huffed and heaved. Kagome waited until his footsteps were faded, the dead body secure in his arms and gone from her sight.

Shit.

Kagome sighed, feeling utterly alone in the large, dark bedroom. Inuyasha had told her to be ready, and she could only imagine their next escape. He would be peeling into the driveway, she'd throw her bags in and they'd fly off – out of town, maybe the country.

It wasn't looking so good for them right now.

"Kagome?"

The sound startled her and she shot forwards, through the door and into her friends. "Yeah, sorry," she muttered as an apology.

Miroku turned around and flicked on the lights, his eyes automatically trailing down to the floor and examining the hardwood. "Is this where?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah."

"Kagome," Sango sighed, watching the girl's every move. She was slow and her face was incredibly pale. "Are you okay? Did you see it happen?"

There was a pause and Kagome hesitated to answer. Of course she saw it happen. Inuyasha had saved her... She tried not to think _how_. "I saw everything."

"I think you're going into shock," Sango mumbled, grabbing Kagome and tugging her to the guest bedroom. "Let's get you warmed up okay?"

"I'm not in shock Sango," Kagome argued, but her voice held no heat. "I've been in it before and this isn't it. I'm just...thinking." There was no other way to explain how odd she felt and she figured if she only told a partial truth, Sango would drop it a lot faster. "I need to be ready for when Inuyasha comes."

"Alright," Sango said.

They walked into the guest bedroom, Miroku not far behind. The lights were turned on and Kagome went straight to the dresser where her clothes were sitting. She hadn't unpacked because she knew they wouldn't be there long enough to make the unpacking process worth it.

"Inuyasha said there was someone trying to kill you," Miroku murmured; his voice quiet and calm. "What happened?"

Kagome stilled only for a moment before turning around with her clothes in hand. "Miroku, will you turn around? I'm going to change." Sango had seen her change a million times, but Miroku was a different story.

It seemed like he was going to say something very Miroku-like, but instead he did what she asked. He was facing the barely lit hallway, eyes scanning the darkness beyond. "So?"

"I was having a hard time getting to sleep. I woke up from a dream and felt restless afterwards. I was thinking...about who was killing us and why they wanted us dead. It doesn't make sense that someone just wanted me dead for what I said on television. There was more to it, and Inuyasha and I were trying to connect the dots. I figured it out – at least, I think so. I went to Inuyasha's room to tell him, because I couldn't sleep and I knew that I would forget some details had I waited until morning.

"We were just talking about what we needed to do next and he decided he needed a drink or something. He left... I went to the door and opened it, figuring he would get lost and come back. I wasn't even trying to listen when I heard a bang, like someone had fallen. I thought he tripped or fell, I mean, he doesn't know where anything in this house is... I walked out and he was struggling with a woman.

"She had a gun, I remember that. I ran back into the room to get Inuyasha's gun from under his pillow. I came out, telling her I would shoot... I didn't have to."

Sango watched her with big eyes and she tapped Miroku's back when Kagome was properly dressed. His expression was much the same.

"When are you going to leave?" Kagome asked, wanting their attention away from her.

"After you," Miroku answered. "Sango will call in sick in an hour or so, and we'll just vanish for a bit I guess."

Kagome nodded and grabbed the last of her stuff, leaving the room and heading towards the front door. She passed Sango and Miroku's rooms, noticing the lack of doors on hinges. "Inuyasha did that? To both of your rooms?"

For a moment, neither of them answered her. Kagome turned around with a raised brow and Sango smiled nervously. "He probably thought others were there to get us too." It sounded more like a question than a statement, but Kagome seemed to accept it and kept going.

It took Inuyasha forty minutes to come back with a car and Kagome tried not to think about the fact that it was stolen or that the dirt on his face was from hiding a dead body. She tried really hard not to think about it.

Sango was crying and Miroku just silent as they said goodbye.

"Can't you call me somehow?" Sango pleaded, but Kagome only shook her head, tears welling up in her own.

"I can try, but the chances are slim. I'll see you soon. I promise."

While she hugged her best friends, she was almost sure that the promise would be broken. Something told her that it would be a while before she would see their faces, and the thought alone sent whirlwinds of emotion through her. Kagome got in the car because she wouldn't leave if the tears started pouring down her face.

If Inuyasha was angry or depressed or anxious, it didn't show. The thought scared Kagome almost as much as the thought of never seeing Sango and Miroku again did. When her bags were in and her seatbelt was on, Inuyasha booked it out of the driveway and onto the street, where the sky was pink and gold from the rising sun.

She wanted to sleep. In all honesty, she wanted to sleep and never wake up. Being attacked constantly was draining her, and the moving around wasn't helping. Inuyasha was there though, but he posed a problem in itself. Falling in love with FBI agents was probably not the safest or steadiest romantic involvement she could've chosen.

Then again, you can't really choose who you fall in love with.

So Kagome closed her eyes but didn't sleep. She listened to Inuyasha's breathing, the heat blasting in the car and the low music playing. She tried not to think about the dead woman, or Sango and Miroku, or the fact that her life was pretty much over.

A long while later, the car stopped and she distinctly heard Inuyasha hiss under his breath before getting out and shutting the door. Kagome opened her eyes and looked around. They were sitting in a parking lot with many open spaces and scattered trees. She tried to figure out where they were, but without knowing the general direction Inuyasha had been driving in, it was pretty much useless. Instead, she waited for the FBI agent to return, trying to calm the nervousness that was crawling up in her belly.

Five minutes later and he was walking back, head low and loose keys in his hand. He approached the truck and finally looked up to see her.

Kagome almost wished she pretended to be sleeping.

The look he gave her; the utter desolation and muted defeat resonated clearly in his amber orbs, and Kagome was struck by the idea that maybe killing the woman had serious nagging effects on him. It didn't even cross her mind, but then again, he hadn't acted this way before with her previous-previous-previous attacker.

"Come on," he said, the moment he opened the car door. "Get your stuff and go back to bed."

Kagome didn't know what else to say or do, so she merely nodded her head and followed him inside. The motel room was a lot like their last, only to her slight and surprising disappointment, there were two double beds instead of one queen. Inuyasha dropped his stuff on his bed, instantly sitting on the edge and looking defeated.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome whispered, sitting on the edge of her own bed and facing him. "Are you okay?"

The FBI agent laughed bitterly, shaking his head and making his mane of long silver hair dance. "Okay? I'm sorry. Shouldn't I be asking you that, since you were the _target_?"

Despite the harsh tone, Kagome didn't stop pressing. "I'm not the one who was forced to kill," she whispered again, her tone even quieter than before.

"That's not a problem. I've done it before and I'll do it again before my career is over. Not that it isn't over already." He sighed. "I don't understand how the hell you're so calm."

Kagome frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You're sitting there," Inuyasha started, his head finally looking up, "asking me how I am. I mean seriously? You're the one everyone's trying to kill. I seem to be a bonus bundle two-for-one deal. Again, you were almost murdered had you not done yet another ridiculously lucky thing. I mean the _timing_ that it took for you to decide to come to see me and the timing it took for her to get in and kill... It's fucking too close, Kagome. Way too close. You're only invincible until you run out of lives."

"To be honest," Kagome replied, "I'm not exactly grasping the whole almost-murdered thing. You take care of me so I don't have to. It's all my fault we're in this mess and it's my fault it's getting–"

"Shut up," Inuyasha said without heat, rolling his eyes at her. "We've been through this. It's not your fault. I should've... It's my fault, fuck. I mean, you never should've been in that _house_. It was a death trap just waiting for you to stumble inside. I should've asked more questions, been more alert. Instead, I wanted a fucking bed and good night sleep. I should've been paying more attention to you, and this situation. _You_ shouldn't have thought of why this is happening – it should've been me. I'm the FBI agent. I'm the one with years of training. I'm the one that has the fucking gun – which, _by the way_, you need to stop taking because you'll accidentally _shoot me_."

"I would not–"

"The car? You ran me over with the car."

Kagome sighed. "That was an accident and totally coincidental."

"Don't you see my point?" Inuyasha growled, standing up and walking closer. "It's all so coincidental. Coincidental that you walked into my room just before the killer walked into yours. Coincidental that the moment I leave you, someone attacks you. Coincidental that this whole mess started after your television report and my murder case. Did you know? The gun that the hit-woman had is a visual match to the gun used on my murder victim. _My murder victim_. It doesn't get any more tangled up in a fucking web of hell than _that_."

Kagome knew that he was starting to go off, and she stood up, hands on his mouth before he could say any more. "You need to relax, Inuyasha. You're not helping yourself by doing this." She tried to be gentle, lightening the hold of his mouth and pulling away with a tight smile. "Stop beating yourself up."

"Kagome, you almost _died_ because I wasn't doing my job," he spat, glaring down at her. "You can't say anything that will make me relax and I can't _tell_ you how fucking worried I am because I can't keep you safe."

Her eyes caught his, and for an unspeakable moment, they just stared at each other. Kagome felt her heart doing that stupid beating-faster thing and Inuyasha's stomach was fluttering the same way it had before.

All of it was completely unreal.

Both of them were more than aware that it wasn't.

"Then show me," Kagome whispered, instantly regretting it because she said something that could've crossed the line. She'd only known him for a week, but it felt like so much longer in her head.

But maybe not to him. She was probably reading him completely wrong. It not like there was anything but the longing (and clearly lustful) looks he gave her. Nothing else.

So what the hell was she thinking?

Why would she say something so unbelievably dumb? Now she couldn't take it back. How the hell could she take it–?

He kissed her.

Oh no.

Not again.

But this time, it didn't stop.

His hands were all over her, touching her legs, sides, arms, neck, face and never stopping, never pulling away. Kagome clung to him, afraid to let go and afraid to stop. She felt his tongue slip past her lips, the heat burning through her body like lighted flames and Kagome couldn't stop the moan that passed her lips.

He walked her backwards, pushing her onto the bed and falling with her. The breath was knocked out of her, but she was never really sure if it was there to begin with. Kagome looked up into his face, seeing his eyes and the same look – the intense, determined look of someone who knew what he wanted.

And now her heart was beating triple-time, maybe even quadruple-time. Whatever time that was to the point of exploding because Kagome couldn't think. All she could do was drag her hands up his chest, through his hair and pull him down, crushing their lips. She tasted every part of him, feeling every inch of his body against hers. She almost was embarrassed for the way she pressed on, grabbing him and pulling him and pushing him. She would've been, if he hadn't been doing the same.

His rough hands slid under her shirt, teasing the flushed skin and lifting the cotton higher. She moaned despite her attempt not to and Kagome knew exactly where this was leading them...

"Wait, wait," Kagome panted, pushing his chest and suddenly feeling overwhelmingly naked despite the fact she only lost her top. She caught her breath, watching the amused smirk light up on his face. She could only imagine how ridiculous she looked. "Inuyasha, wait, I can't just do this when it could be different. I mean, I, um, I–"

Inuyasha didn't wait to stop her rambling, kissing her silent and waiting for the pushing to begin.

Her hands found his chest once more and he rolled his eyes as he leaned back. "Kagome, I know."

She stopped; hands midair and face completely flushed. "What?"

He smiled at the alarming look she gave him. He leaned down, kissing her neck slowly, taking his time. "Me too," he whispered against her skin. "I know because it's the same."

If Kagome thought her heart was pounding fast before, she was wrong. His low seductive words made her freeze, brain processing slowly. He felt the same. _Me too_. But why not...?

And just then he looked up at her, his eyes conveying what she didn't understand.

It made sense then. To Kagome, his lack of admission wasn't because he didn't want any ties or any responsibility. It wasn't because he didn't feel the same or because he just wanted sex. It was because he wanted the ties and the responsibility, and he did feel the same. Sex was only a part of it.

The rest was the same thing she felt. That stupid, cliché word called love. She'd be cursing all over again if she hadn't started kissing him instead.

He didn't tell her that he loved her because it wasn't the time. It wasn't the place. They were suspects on the run from practically the world.

Their kisses grew hotter and hotter, and soon clothes were scattered, torn off without care and thrown to the floor.

This time, Kagome knew it wasn't going to stop.

She wouldn't let it.

* * *

**Told you. I know this was a bit shorter than usual, and I do apologize. But I wanted to update it because my week becomes PURE hell on earth soon. No lie. And it's not even exams yet. FML much?**

**Thank you to the amazing amounts of reviews! Every time I read one, I feel guiltier and guiltier for posting so late. Again, sorry! You're the best!**

**Please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Late? Disturbingly so.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

* * *

**

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Eighteen

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_

She swore that his touches were going to turn her to ash.

The fire that burned along her skin with each light scratch tormented her. Her hands grabbed at him, gently but quick, pulling him to her and not letting him go. Even as she reminded herself to breathe between kisses and relax, she couldn't stop the fire building within her. Her body danced under his, the weight of him pinning her to the mattress. Not that she minded.

"It's not your fault," she whispered in his ear, feeling the trickle of his hair as it slid along her skin.

Inuyasha growled but didn't say anything more, his lips tasting every inch, mapping out her body like it was necessary, needed.

Kagome moaned quietly, her hands grabbing his hair and pulling his head up. "Don't be stupid," she said fiercely, pulling on him so that his eyes met hers. "If there is anyone – _anyone_ – that I would trust with my life, it's you."

"You barely know me," he murmured, pressing his body against hers so that their foreheads were touching. His breath tickled her heated flesh.

Kagome couldn't help but give a puff of laughter, giving him a pointed glare. She could go into so many things: the fact that he was right, the fact that it didn't matter, the fact that she trusted him unquestionably, the fact that she needed him with her, the fact that she was quite possibly in love with him. The fact that she was handing herself over, with unspoken promises and terror trying to catch them, was something that made her feel like she knew Inuyasha all too well.

"Stop thinking," he whispered, gently sucking her lower lip into his mouth, pulling her in for a kiss.

Kagome smiled against him, running her hands through his hair and rubbing his sensitive ears. She could tell by the way that he groaned that she wasn't doing anything wrong. "Then make me."

Inuyasha didn't need to be told twice.

Hands touched every part of her body, and Inuyasha was vaguely aware that he didn't think it would be enough. The way that she came apart under his hands excited him more than any anticipation. He could already feel the heaviness of his cock, the brush of sheets and naked skin and he wasn't sure how long he could go without taking her. Her sounds intoxicated him and the moment he felt her hands trail down lower and lower on his chest, he was caught in a place between heaven and hell; the pleasure almost too much and at the same time, never enough.

When her hand curled around him, the slow slid of soft skin and heated flesh ripped a groan from his throat and his hands toyed with her breasts, capturing her lips in rough passion. He felt his blood rushing, his heart beating faster in his chest and the sounds that came out of her mouth– _God._ He was going to fall apart.

Her hand was stroking harder, faster on his cock and he hastily slid his fingers in her, feeling the heat and tightness that made it almost impossible to ignore.

"Shit," he mumbled against her skin as he kissed her jaw line to her swollen lips.

She moaned her agreement, fingers working his flesh and her other hand pulling him closer. She'd be damned if she didn't get enough. "What are you waiting for?" she panted, opening her eyes to meet golden orbs.

Licking his lips, Inuyasha had never felt so _needy_ in his life, so _wanting_. He leaned down to catch her bottom lip, sucking gently as he removed his fingers and slid his hands up her body. Her silky skin felt like fire under his fingertips.

"Inuyasha," she murmured; her voice thick and throaty. She was driving him wild.

"_God, _Kagome," he hissed, pushing away her hand reluctantly and tracing patterns down her body. "You are..."

Kagome ran her fingers through his long silver hair and smiled, despite the fact she probably looked thoroughly ravaged. "What, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha looked at her, the way her eyes were so dark from lust he could almost see his reflection. Her hair was scattered on the pillow, the black strands contrasting with her flushed hot skin and cherry swollen lips. She never stopped moving. Even while his arms stood at either side, Kagome wrapped herself towards him, _against_ him and shit, he wasn't sure if he was going to last through the preliminaries.

"Inuyasha?" Even the fucking way she said his name, all breathless and urgent, made him harder than he could ever remember. Him wanting another woman? Never this much.

"Amazing," he whispered, leaning down and kissing her speechless. He felt every inch of her body beneath his and he stopped trying to hold off. "Kagome, I need–"

Her moan silenced him, and instead of talking he let his actions explain everything. He pushed inside of her, feeling her body surround him in the heat he wanted to bury himself in from the beginning. The sounds she made continued to toy with his mind and he kissed his way up her body, moving slowly and lazily inside of her. Her legs wrapped around him, drawing him closer, deeper and Inuyasha couldn't help the groan that escaped his lips.

Her hands traced their way up his body, feeling every ridge of powerful muscle. His abs fluttered beneath her touch, and she felt his chest, his neck, all the way until she reached his face and was able to pull him closer. She kissed him, her tongue begging for entrance until it snaked in and danced with his own. Her hips lifted to meet his thrusts, almost going insane from the way he was moving so slowly that she could feel every push inside and every pull away.

"Inuyasha," she begged, the sound telling him everything he needed to know and soon they were rocking together, harder and faster. His hands traced her face as he kissed her, quickening his pace and swallowing down their moans. The way she moved underneath him, the way that she practically danced beneath him, keeping him close and making love to him like no one else existed was intoxicating, and Inuyasha felt his heart clench, even as he panted for breath. This woman was more incredible than he even knew, and while he knew his feelings for her extended far beyond the basic need to protect her, the thought almost terrified him.

He put everything that he could give her into the touches and caresses he gave. Her thrusts meeting his, bodies coming together and falling apart, and soon Inuyasha felt the heat within him boiling. He moved with her faster and faster, feeling the need to be with her – now and always – stronger as he desperately pulled her closer, pushed into her faster, harder. It was him and her, against the world. Him and her, together in an isolated motel room, hiding from the dangers that existed outside. Him and her, together, and Inuyasha couldn't imagine anything different.

He was climbing higher, feeling the heat wash over his body in waves. He watched Kagome, her expression of pure bliss as her sounds grew louder. He could feel her tightening around him, her body moving up and down his shaft with every thrust, every rock of their bodies and he watched, fascinated as she panted his name, coming apart right beneath him.

He couldn't stop and he couldn't put her out of his mind. He pumped harder, wanting that connection, wanting to be as close to her as he could possibly get. The fire pool in his core, and he felt his body tense as his orgasm shot through him, ripping a sound from his chest he never knew possible.

Moments later, when his breath returned, he slid to the side. Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck, feeling her heated flesh sizzle beneath him.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice was soft and gentle and the small smile on her face pulled something inside of him.

He lifted his hand to sweep the stray midnight strands from her face. "What?"

"This wasn't and never was a one-time thing." It was a statement, not a question.

Inuyasha sat up and leaned over, kissing her swollen lips. "Never."

* * *

Kaguya had never been more fucking terrified in her entire life. She stood at the abandoned street corner, her hands white-knuckling the briefcase clutched in her grasp. She was in an industrial part of town. Large brick buildings with smoke stacks and large loading docks were visible from every viewpoint, and she sighed, trying to remember the directions exactly.

The few precious days... When Kaguya had been given the terrifying call from whatever bastard was trying to control her, she had lost it. She didn't go to work the next day, feigning sickness, and she was almost in tears by the third. The seventy-two hours had been the slowest of her life.

She had the money in the briefcase, with the briefcase in her hand. The directions had been clear when he called this morning. Her blackmailer, whoever the hell he was, had called at an ungodly hour. His voice had been crisp, clear and concise. She was to deliver the money at three pm, and in the exact bin that was planned.

At first, Kaguya had wanted to laugh. The instructions were so Hollywood-based that she wasn't sure if the man was serious or not. Dropping the millions in a garbage bin? Who the fuck thought that was rational? After she dropped the money in the bin, she had to keep walking straight for two blocks, take a left, and then follow the loop all the way back to her car that was parked a few feet away from the drop-off. Error would result in death. Kaguya was torn between disbelief and overwhelming fear.

So now she was walking. It was time to move and then, when she finished her job, she would be free. She wouldn't be sleeping with the lights on or double-checking the knife she placed in her nightstand drawer. The bag was swaying with the movement of her hips, and she tried to act natural. Just because it was an industrial area didn't mean people weren't bustling about. The commercial sector was smack dab in the middle between two major cities, and people tended to walk or drive between the two down the major road she was on. She wore sunglasses to cover her face because while the sun was just barely peaking out between the clouds, she didn't want anyone to recognize her.

Tugging her scarf closer, she took a quick look around to make sure no one was paying attention before dropping the briefcase into the trashcan. She listened as the tight cloth fell and mixed among plastic bottles and paper bags. She could only imagine with a grimace how her expensive couple hundred dollar briefcase was being forever damaged by the filth and dirt... Okay, the plan was in action. All Kaguya had to do now was walk – keeping walking, and never look back.

Walk and never look back. Don't look back. Walk. Keep walking.

Kaguya made the left turn, putting in the extra effort to avoid looking behind her, even with her peripherals. She kept going, passing buildings that looked more like abandoned warehouses. She moved around broken wood and rusty nail-strewn paths.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Kaguya was positive the person was talking to her. The deep voice, the sure sound of power and respect. She knew that voice. She knew it all too well.

Kaguya braced herself for what she knew was to come. She burst out into a run, her heels clicking against the asphalt painfully. She needed to run, get away.

Fuck he was coming. Things weren't supposed to end like this.

Kaguya knew he was right behind her before his large powerful hands threw her down to the ground. She screamed, the sound ripping from her throat as her hands clawed and reached for something, _anything_. Before she could tell if her scream made any difference, a cloth was over her face, and she couldn't breathe, couldn't utter another painful, raw shriek. Her head smashed against the pavement, rough hands dragging her down, harder and harder...

Everything went black.

* * *

"Pathetic."

The television was flashing headlines about murder and intrigue. The biggest and most repetitive font was that of the missing former FBI Special Agent Inuyasha Taisho, and RCN reporter Kagome Higurashi. Both were wanted for linkages to terrorist attacks.

It was unbelievably stupid. One would think by now that they would get tired of saying the same stupid names and the same stupid warrants.

Sesshomaru Taisho was not amused.

He was just finishing up the dishes, piling the cleaned and rinsed plates on the countertop before getting bored and leaving for the living room. The television was still blaring the ungodly news, and while it was only four in the afternoon, Sesshomaru was dreading the rest of the night and the rest of what horrible television would be on.

He should be at work, but Sesshomaru knew that the link to his brother on the run made his company a bit wary. He was asked to take a bit of leave, and even though he knew he'd never be fired, Sesshomaru was too uncaring to actually argue or agree. He just left, packed a bag and headed for the cottage. The last thing he expected was to find his brother in there, with his girlfriend aiming and firing a fucking gun at him.

Suddenly the phone rang, and Sesshomaru sighed before leaning over and picking up the portable. The caller ID was unfamiliar to him, and he shrugged before answering.

"Hello?"

There was a short pause on the other end before a quiet whisper. "_Sesshomaru_?"

"Yes? Who is this?" Normally, Sesshomaru would've hung up the phone since the caller was obviously acting oddly, but he was just that bored.

"_Oh, hi, um_..." The voice on the other end sounded familiar, and Sesshomaru wracked his brain for whose it belonged to. Quiet and feminine. Pretty indignant sounding, even just for a hello on the phone... The police officer: Rin, wasn't it?

"_This is Rin_," the woman said, giving a small laugh. "_Do you remember me_?"

Sesshomaru felt the corners of his lips turn up, and he grabbed the remote to turn off the television. The noise finally gone, he focused on the conversation at hand. He could have some fun with this one. "I'm not sure. It's been three days hasn't it?"

Rin gave another short laugh. "_Yeah, you don't remember me at all. You just remember the exact number of days since you last saw me_."

"Well, it's understandable it took you this long. Everyone knows any call earlier than three days signals desperation."

"_Are you trying to imply anything_?"

Sesshomaru remained silent, enjoying the flaring temper she had even on the phone. "Did you call for a reason?"

Rin sighed on the other end, and he knew he was about to get what he wanted. "_Dinner. Tonight. Two hours._"

Thinking about it, and deciding he was doing absolutely nothing else, Sesshomaru thought a night out with the fiery and somewhat loud police officer would be entertaining at the very least. "Where?"

The police officer told him where to meet her and that he should look somewhat respectable. "I always look respectable," Sesshomaru said shortly.

He could practically hear her eyes rolling from the other end. "_Right. Oh, and Sesshomaru?_"

"Yes?"

"_We are in no way to discuss the case, got it? Since you're no longer suspected of any aiding and abetting, there's nothing particularly wrong with going out. But I'm not just going to open my mouth and talk details. I want to not think about work._"

"It's okay. I'll just save the conversation for pillow talk," Sesshomaru murmured, listening to her gasp before hanging up. She may not even show up after that comment, but he figured that since she called him in the first place, Rin wouldn't just let it go.

He spent the next hour in the shower and getting ready, throwing on whatever was in sight and checking at the last minute to make sure it actually matched. Wallet and keys in hand, Sesshomaru left the house with just enough time to make it to the restaurant.

He wasn't too familiar with the restaurant, but the bright white sign and flashing letters made it hard to miss. He parked a block away, sliding his car into a lot before getting out and walking leisurely towards it. It was just after six, and Sesshomaru wondered what actually made the police officer call.

He looked inside through the big bay window, eyes searching for a short woman with long black hair. Although the restaurant was fairly busy, it wasn't hard to find his target. It was pretty easy actually, considering she was waving her arms around like someone who was about to throw a punch at a middle-sized man wearing a business suit.

Sesshomaru frowned, pausing at his place near the window to watch the two communicate. Rin was obviously uncomfortable, but not in the way that made her vulnerable. She looked like she was trying to slink away, even though the guy looked more scared than she did. Rin shook her head and then her finger, tapping him on the arm with a look of pure exasperation. The red-haired man crossed his arms, huffed and left out the back. Sesshomaru couldn't tell the expression on the young man's face, but he could tell that it wasn't pleased.

Processing the information and storing it away for later, Sesshomaru continued to make his way inside the restaurant, giving his name to the petite hostess and following her in. Rin wasn't looking when he entered the room, but he watched the irritated expression on her face instantly disappear the moment he was a few feet away.

"You're late," she murmured, giving him a pointed look before smiling at the hostess.

Sesshomaru shrugged. "I've never been here before. Not that you asked or anything during the phone call. I don't actually live in the area."

Rin seemed to contemplate this for a moment, her soft brown eyes staring into his golden ones before looking down at the menu. "And where do you live, _actually_?"

"A solid four hours away. As you must already know, I'm staying at my cottage." Sesshomaru opened the menu and glanced at it, seeing the typical food for a typical restaurant. He made his choice quickly but left the menu open, turning his eyes instead to focus on the girl before him. "So, you never told me how old you are."

"Younger than you," Rin murmured, still not looking at him.

Sesshomaru scoffed. "Well, that was difficult to guess."

"Your sarcasm in not appreciated currently."

"Ah, but you see, my sarcasm is well-timed," Sesshomaru started, leaning forwards. "Unlike my half-brother, who is about as subtle bull in a glass shop."

Rin finally glanced up, the ends of her mouth twitching. "That's right. You want to prove to me how _un_like your brother you are. Tell me, what's your favourite television show?"

"I don't have one."

Rin nodded. "Interesting. Neither does Inuyasha."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. "He's lying."

"Uh huh," the police woman murmured, giving him another small smile.

"We're different," Sesshomaru pressed, trying to make the point stick. To be honest, he didn't really know Inuyasha all that well. It's not like he ever spent time getting to know him. He didn't realize it would be this hard to convince someone about a brother he knew nothing about and how different he was from him.

"Oh, I understand." Rin nodded again in a way that almost made it conspiratorial, looking from side to side before smiling again. "That's why," she whispered, "both of you are in very prestigious careers having to do with the law, where you put the bad guys away."

She had a point. "I thought you barely knew my half-brother," Sesshomaru stated, knowing when he was getting beat.

"Just because I barely knew him doesn't mean I don't hear talk. Inuyasha was one of the best. He did his job and he did it well." Rin sighed before closing the menu. "I don't want to talk about him."

Sesshomaru frowned. "Alright then. How old are you?"

Rin rolled her eyes. "Does it even matter?"

At that point in time, the server came over with water and asked if they wanted anything more specific to drink. Rin had smiled gleefully at Sesshomaru before pointing at the wine menu. _I knew it_, Sesshomaru thought. What was it with _wine_ and first dates?

He picked out a bottle of red, gesturing for them to share. The server wrote it down, looked at Sesshomaru and then back at Rin suspiciously.

"Can I see some ID please?" the server asked Rin, giving her a sympathetic smile.

Sesshomaru had to try _really_ hard to not laugh at that. _Really_ hard.

Rin growled and dug out her wallet from her purse. Without even taking it out, she handed the wallet over and pointed to the clear pouch where her ID sat. The server looked back and forth a couple times, double-checked the date before handing it back and smiling. "I'll be right back with it."

Sesshomaru was still trying not to laugh.

Obviously noting how hard he was trying to not make a scene, Rin scowled and crossed her arms. "Okay. I look young. Fine. But I'm legal and I'm not _that_ much younger than you. I skipped a lot of grades in school, got into training and got my butt in gear. I mean, I'm a _federal agent_. It's not possible for me to be that young."

"It's still pretty damn funny," Sesshomaru commented, watching her face deteriorate to that of anger.

"Topic change," Rin said is a singsong voice. She gave a lop-sided smile and placed her hands on the table, waiting.

Sesshomaru shrugged. "Who was the gentleman you were talking to earlier?"

He watched as Rin's face stayed a constant expressionless mask, her drumming index finger the only signal of her discomfort. "What gentleman?"

"The one with red hair that you were talking to before I got here," Sesshomaru replied, gesturing towards the window. "I saw you."

"An old friend," she said, her eyes a hard stare.

Sesshomaru felt the curves of his lips twitch. "And you were talking about...?"

Rin watched him, her brown eyes studying him. "We were just catching up."

"On what? You looked pretty unhappy."

"He's an old friend for a reason," Rin replied. "Do you always like pushing buttons? Asking the hardest possible questions?"

"Well, I am a lawyer," Sesshomaru murmured.

"You know," Rin started, "you're brother pushed buttons a lot too. So far you're failing on the whole changing-my-mind business."

Sesshomaru held back a sigh. This again. "You've mentioned that and I _am_ nothing like him. Can you stop bringing him back into the equation? If I didn't know better, I'd say you had a crush."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous," Rin shot back.

The two stared at each other, heated debate on both of their minds. Sesshomaru wouldn't budge on the fact that he was nothing like his brother and Rin wouldn't budge on the fact that he was exactly like his brother.

The server came back to the table, obviously noting the tension between the two and giving an uneasy smile. "Wine?"

Rin gave a smile at Sesshomaru before looking at the server. "Please."

* * *

**There. I've already started on the next chapter for this.**

**Thank you for all of the reviews! You people are the best.**

**Here are some questions that I'm getting via email. I thought I'd answer.**

_**Where the hell do you get your ideas from?**_ _Wish I knew. Generally my dreams, and one-shots are usually based on songs. However, the recent chapters of __How to Kill Me__ are based on the song Monster by Lady Gaga and a new story that's in the works, __Reaping Grim,__ I got from a dream. __Imaginary__ and __Ordinary__ were dreams. I try to forget I ever wrote MFH (see, I won't even put the title). Oh, and if ever curious, check out my profile for more tidbits of future stories._

**Would you say writing is, like, your superpower?**_Hahahahahahahahahaha. I wish SG. Then I'd update faster, dammit. No. Have you read some of the Fanfiction on here? There are a lot of amazing authors with a lot of talent. I'd bet it's theirs. My superpower is definitely the ability to bruise on demand. Flick me? It's bound to leave a bruise. Imagine, I'm on a fencing team too._

**Any more questions? Ask away, my friends.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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**Target Locked**

_Chapter Nineteen

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Kagome watched Inuyasha's face, noting the slight tilt of his lips and the relaxed look on his body. The light jacket surrounding him fluttered in the small breeze created by the cracked down window. She had never seen him so...okay.

"What are you thinking about?" she murmured, lifting her hand to tease along the length of his arm. It had been a full day since they made love in the motel room so far behind them and ever since they had been driving around, trying to plan their next move. Originally, Inuyasha had waited for Shippo's call, wanting to talk to him about the hit-woman and the connection between her gun and Gatenmaru's murder.

Shippo hadn't called.

In the back of Inuyasha's mind, he was slightly worried. He usually contacted him by now, and he wondered if the FBI was watching Shippo's every move. It was just...Inuyasha didn't seem to be _that_ worried. About his job. About his life.

Of course he wanted that back. It would be nice to not have to hide from everyone in sight and not have to sleep in crappy motel rooms or the next stolen car. However, he couldn't help but think he got a part of his life because of what happened. He looked over at Kagome, smirking with his thoughts. "A few things actually. One of them was wondering how I'm going to contact Shippo."

Kagome looked out the window for a few moments, blowing hot breath on the glass and making shapes out of the mist. "Why don't you buy one of those phone card phones? Pay cash and it won't be linked to you, right?"

Thinking about it for a moment, Inuyasha looked over at her and smirked. "My girl is a criminal," he muttered. "All of a sudden you're an expert on how to avoid the feds?"

"We did a story on it over a year ago," Kagome replied with a small smile. "Sango and I were on the case where a woman was receiving mysterious and threatening phone calls but all of the records were linked back to a disposable with no name attached to it."

Inuyasha nodded. "My only worry with that is actually getting into a store and not being recognized. It was okay at first but this has gone on now for over a week and the information against us must be piling up."

"Then we should go in a heavily populated store with disguises, right?" Kagome asked, capturing his amber orbs with her brown ones. "If we cover up really good, maybe no one will notice us."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Are you kidding? It's far too dangerous. We can't risk it."

"Well how else are we going to get a hold of him?" Kagome asked, glaring. "Pay phone? Please, tell me when you find one. They are virtually extinct."

"Shippo seems to find them alright," Inuyasha grumbled. "I haven't seen one yet."

Kagome crossed her arms. "Exactly." She sighed and continued to look out the window. "You'll have to go in. I'm a reporter that was on the news daily. I'm not a celebrity but I do get recognized and we're still in the area."

Inuyasha snorted a laugh. "Right, because silver hair and dog ears are _so_ inconspicuous. Never mind the eyes."

Ah. Kagome thought about it, knee bouncing up and down until it hit the glove compartment. Startling her, she frowned, slowly reaching down and opening it. "I think I have a plan," she said suddenly, making Inuyasha peel his eyes off the road to see her.

"What plan?" he asked, glancing every so often to make sure they were still on the road.

Smiling to herself, Kagome popped open the case and slipped the object on, smiling cheekily at Inuyasha. "You like?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Glasses?"

"But Inuyasha, what other stuff is in here? If I put on my hoodie and leave the hood up, wear these glasses and maybe wear a scarf to block the rest of my hair, who would notice me?"

"Someone with good voice recognition?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, feeling the odd weight of the glasses foreign to her. "I won't talk. No one will notice me. I'll get tucked up, go inside, grab a disposable and run on out. Do you have any cash?"

Giving Kagome a pointed look, Inuyasha laughed. "I emptied out my account. Do you remember those days we drove all over in and out of the city? We weren't just having a disoriented road trip."

"No paper trail, a perfect disguise – what can happen?" Kagome asked, hoping that the glasses made her look smarter and wiser while she was glaring at him.

"Security cameras Kagome," Inuyasha retorted, sparing her a glance and smirking. "They'll have them everywhere, especially at a big box store. I'll have to park far away and hope to hell that you make it in and out okay, and then make it all the way to the car alright."

"I can do this," Kagome assured, nodding to herself as if in confirmation.

Inuyasha shook his head. "You're not doing it."

"Am too."

"Are not."

"Am too."

"Are not."

"You're being childish."

Inuyasha snorted. "Really? I'm the childish one? You're acting like the world's greatest criminal since you put on those glasses."

Okay. So he had her there.

"What else are we going to do?" Kagome demanded, glaring at him. "We either wait for Shippo or we go get him. Where else can we even go? We're stuck driving around in a stolen car–"

"Do you really think I need reminding?" Inuyasha snapped, flickering his golden eyes towards her. "I'm an FBI special agent Kagome," he continued. "I know the exact situation we're in."

"Don't take this out on me," Kagome said quietly, watching him. "I'm sorry."

Inuyasha let out a breath, moving his mouth into a tight line. "Yeah, me too."

Kagome nodded, looking out the window. "This is the only way, you know that."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it any."

The drove for a while in silence, the only change made when Inuyasha turned the car around to head to the closest store. The road stretched ahead of them, giving them a glimpse of freedom they didn't have. Kagome tried to relax and let the butterflies in her stomach settle. If she had to go into that store... She would do it. She would have to do it since they had no other choice. The thought was still terrifying.

"I'll go in," Inuyasha said suddenly, startling Kagome from her thoughts. "I'm not as recognized."

"But your hair," Kagome stated, reaching over to run a hand through the silky locks. "It does stand out. _Everything_ about you stands out. Do you even have a hooded sweater to put on or cover you up?"

Inuyasha's mouth formed a hard line and he didn't have to shake his head to let Kagome know he didn't. "But you can't go in."

"Again, we don't have much of a choice."

Pounding the steering wheel, Inuyasha growled as they drew nearer to their destination. "I don't like this."

"You said that before," Kagome murmured. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Smirking slightly, Inuyasha shook his head. "It has nothing to do with _you_ and all to do with the situation. It's dangerous. If you're caught, there's almost no chance for you to get out or escape."

"And what if I do get caught?" she asked, blinking her large brown eyes. "What are they going to do to me?"

The frown returned to his face and he looked at her, worried. "You wouldn't."

"No," Kagome replied, shaking her head. "I wouldn't but what if? It's not like they would kill me."

"But others may try. A lot of good people were killed in that building. You know how locked-down this country is since nine-eleven. You'd be lucky if you made it to trial breathing."

"And if I do?" Kagome pressed. "What then?"

"Capital punishment."

That ended the conversation right there.

Inuyasha drove past the large store, glancing at it briefly before revving the engine and driving faster. Kagome waited patiently until Inuyasha found a place that was a five minute walk away. Reaching in the back, he pulled out the small bag of her clothing and let her pick out the large hooded sweater and scarf. She dressed herself quickly and silently, giving Inuyasha half-smiles and long looks before tapping the glasses.

"I'm ready," she said firmly, reaching for the door handle. "Be here when I get back?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "Like I'm going anywhere." Leaning down to find a spot under the seat, he pulled out a couple bills and handed it to her. "You be quick. Don't stop, don't talk and for the love of god don't do anything stupid."

Laughing and taking the money, Kagome got out of the car. "Yes sir."

"You come back," he ordered again.

Kagome rolled her eyes and then quickly crawled over the seat to catch his lips with hers. "I'll come back."

Watching her pull away caused Inuyasha's heart to clench painfully in his chest, and he wondered what the hell was happening to him. The door shut, the loud slam shaking his thoughts as he watched Kagome go.

While Kagome walked over, she passed right through a large basketball court. Several young men were hanging around, cigarettes hanging out of their mouths as they eyed her carefully. She hurried her step towards the store, hoping to get there sooner, get out sooner and get back to Inuyasha sooner.

She could do this.

The rest of the walk was uneventful but the moment she walked into the door of the store, she felt like a million eyes were on her. Her skin started to crawl as she forced herself to continue on, moving towards the Electronics Department and getting the phone card and the disposable cell. She checked the prices for a mid-ranged one and hurried to the check-out, paying with the cash Inuyasha gave her.

The cashier smiled at her in a friendly manner but said nothing more, only mentioning the cost to her before taking the money and giving her change. Kagome thanked her quietly and then headed back towards the doors, closing her eyes tight as she passed through the security bars. It would be her luck if they went off for no reason. When no sound came, she couldn't help but smile and walk a little faster, heading back towards the car where Inuyasha was waiting.

The plastic bag clutched in her hand with the card and phone, she felt the cold wind stir around her, the sound of it whizzing by blocked out almost everything else out.

"Almost there," she whispered into the wind, entering the basketball court and feeling only slightly better that the group of men who had been there previously were gone. She entered through the gated court and felt the need to move faster. Inuyasha was just another minute or so away – out the court, through some trees and around a bend. He would be sitting in his car and she would jump in. They would drive off and forget about this terror-inducing experience of potentially being caught. Then, everything would be well. They would call Shippo, get the news on the hit-woman, investigate her and hopefully get some clues on how to solve the thing.

Hopefully.

The second she felt someone behind her, Kagome's big brown eyes widened. She lurched forward, whipping the bag in front of her in an attempt to escape. A warm hand covered her shoulder, wrenching her backwards and forcing her to the hard pavement. Screaming pain blasted through her head, covering her vision in little black dots. There was a cry but Kagome couldn't tell if it was her or someone else around her. Everything was spinning and blacking out; the people surrounding her and holding her to the cold pavement of the basketball court.

"Kagome Higurashi?" a deep voice rumbled.

Shaking her head and trying to get a grasp on the situation, she tried to scream. She felt her breath pass through her lips but no sound came out as her head was picked up, the hood covering her hair tossed off. The scarf around her neck tightened almost painfully, making her screaming attempts futile.

"Get her," another voice barked and she felt her body picked up and tossed into the air.

Kagome coughed, needing to make a sound – yell, shout, _anything_.

"Stop," she tried to scream but the sound came out strangled and muffled into the chest of some man. Her head was swimming and spinning, completely losing all sense as to what needed to be done. Even if she did escape, figuring out where to go would be almost hopeless. "Please stop," she tried once more.

A rough hand grabbed her throat and Kagome choked out a sob, feeling her vision blur as the ability to breathe was nearly impossible. "Don't do this," she barely managed to whisper before the blackness in front of her eyes grew darker, making the day seem like a fading whisper.

"Too late," the voice purred in her ear, laughing from his chest and rumbling her already frazzled head.

Kagome felt his grip on her neck loosen slightly, but it mattered not. The blackness had already consumed her, her senses starting to fail as the last sensation she felt was the slipping of plastic from her hand.

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Kaguya couldn't help but tear at her wrists some more, feeling the burn and spark of pain shoot through her arm as the cut deepened. She let out a cry of pain as the tears leaked through her closed eyelids.

_Fuck_, she thought. She was stuck in a basement of some sort, beaten and left for dead in the dark. She was handcuffed around some leaking pole, the rusty waster dripping repeatedly on the frozen cement floor.

"Come on," she whispered into the cold air. She had been stuck in the small room for however long – she didn't know because of the lack of windows. There was a small lamp in the corner of the room, but both it and anything else that could potentially help her was completely out of her grasp.

She tugged at the handcuffs again, feeling the slip of tears as pain ricocheted through her body once more. This was unbearable, barely tolerable. She wasn't going to make it.

What were they keeping her for anyways? She gave them the money, what else could they want? People were going to notice if she was away. Her company and all of the people that worked there were going to wonder where she went. Ryukotsusei would surely note it because he always knew where she was and when she was going to come in.

The tears on her cheek dried as she rested against the pole, taking in deep breaths to calm herself down. Of all the years of school and assistant jobs and crazy run-around assignments that virtually got nowhere in the end, Kaguya had learned that working yourself up was for nothing. She needed to relax.

Take a long, very deep breath.

And _relax_.

Then, she would figure it out.

Kaguya was sure that she had been attempting to relax for what felt like forever, but she couldn't be sure. It might have been minutes for all she knew. Still, her body was tensed, her wrists aching but arms still shaking from wanting to tug and pull and _rip_.

Loud creaking footsteps startled her and Kaguya shook at the handcuffs some more, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. No, not again. The footsteps coming down the stairs only meant one thing. One of them was back.

She didn't know where she was.

She didn't even know who had her.

All she knew was that every time they came she felt another big chunk of her life drained. They came with threats and wicked grins and always warned her that she should enjoy the last few minutes she had left because she'd be dead soon.

Like trying to catch the wind, Kaguya knew that there was only so much she could do and only so long that it would work.

The door swung open and Kaguya blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the steady stream of bright light invading her eyes. It was because of her inability to see that made the figure's appearance so startling to her. The second that she could comprehend what was before her, a familiar face was bending down towards her.

"Hello Kaguya, it's nice to see you all chained up and weak."

"What the _fuck_? You? It's _you_?" Kaguya couldn't believe it.

Ryukotsusei laughed. "No one is going to miss you now."

Suddenly, Kaguya was sure that no one would and if no one did, she wouldn't be found.

Alive.

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Inuyasha had just about had it.

His fingers were drumming uncontrollably on the steering wheel and his neck had a permanent kink from looking in the same direction for over twenty minutes. She should be back now _dammit_. There was no reason why not.

What if she was just having trouble finding the phone? He made it clear that she shouldn't talk to anyone so it would be harder to find... Maybe another couple minutes.

But she was smart, right? And she suggested it? Surely she would know where it was, right? _Right_?

He was going to count to sixty, and if Kagome wasn't there or at least in his sight, he was going to find her slow ass and _murder her_.

One.

Two.

Three.

Sixty.

Grumbling and attempting to ignore the raging fear that was steadily building inside of him ever since she left his sight, Inuyasha jumped out of the car with his gun hidden beneath his jacket. It was three steps in when Inuyasha swore and broke into a run, staying along the edges and trying to make sure that no one saw him. It was only midday and Inuyasha had to be careful that no one glimpsed at his undeniably recognizable features.

Maybe it was when he saw the gated courts that something in him shook. Maybe it was the fact that from this view he could see everything – and Kagome was nowhere in sight.

"Dammit," Inuyasha hissed, breaking out into a full-out sprint as he ran into the basketball courts, running hastily over pavement and faded court markings. He was just about to run out and burst into the big box store – security be fucking _damned_ – but a lonely plastic bag from the exact store he was heading towards caught his eye.

No.

Please fucking god _no_.

Inuyasha turned around so fast that his long silver hair whiplashed against his cool face. He raced back to the plastic bag, reaching down and hastily picked it up. The moment he looked inside, it was like every part of his being just _stopped_. His blood stopped flowing. His throat closed. His eyes stopped seeing. His stomach rolled unpleasantly. His fucking _heart_ stopped beating.

The phone card and cell were sitting in the bag and as he looked at the receipt for the cash transaction, he just _knew_. Kagome was gone.

Not only gone, but taken.

He looked around, already knowing that this was done awhile ago and _shit_, why the _fuck_ hadn't he checked on her sooner?

Inuyasha watched a bunch of guys walk into the court and he eyed them warily before clutching the bag tightly in his hands and walking over to them. He was pissed, he was starting to lose it and he had a fucking gun so no one was going to _fucking think_ of messing with him.

"Excuse me?" he asked, politely enough. "Did you see anything strange happen? A woman walking by here and then leaving with a bunch of others...?"

The group of men stood there for a while, a few of them lighting up with no interest in talking to him. Inuyasha started to growl, feeling his nerves building until every single one of them were on fire. "Did you _fucking_ see a woman walk by here?"

One of them took a long drag before shrugging his shoulders. "Some bitch with a hood?"

It took Inuyasha all of his willpower to not pull out the gun right there. "Yeah. Did you see her?"

"She walked by here towards the store," he replied, leaning against the gate.

Inuyasha growled. "What about the way back?"

Two of the men stepped forward threateningly but Inuyasha didn't even break contact from the man who had been answering him. He just waited for a reply.

"Nah. We had business," he guy answered, staring back with an attitude that Inuyasha wasn't sure he could handle much longer.

Inuyasha nodded and started to storm back, hands clenching and unclenching around the plastic bag before he heard footsteps following him close behind. Whipping around he pulled out his gun and growled at the two men from before. He'd be damned if these punk-ass bitches got in his way of helping Kagome. "Fucking take a step closer," Inuyasha dared, waving the gun in their direction. "This is not my fucking day and I dare you shitheads to try something."

Instantly grinning and raising their hands, they stayed in place as Inuyasha holstered the gun and walked off. He got into the car and drove off, barely managing to drive the speed limit before stopping abruptly down another street and working the new cellphone. He knew Shippo's number by heart and the moment he got the phone working he was plugging in the number with stiff fingers.

Shippo answered almost immediately.

"Kagome's fucking gone," Inuyasha snapped into the phone, finding the last of his resolve dwindling as the despair started to pile up. "Does the FBI have her? – No, _fuck_, I knew it – Shippo, we need to meet."

Inuyasha took several deep breaths, waiting. He would find Kagome, even if it was the last thing he did.

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**As I promised on my profile. Hopefully there aren't many mistakes? I hope.**

**Happiness to be updated next.**

**Please review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

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**Target Locked**

_Chapter Twenty_

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"What the fuck do you mean he's _gone_?"

"I don't know where he is," Rin said firmly, trying to hold her own without snapping viciously at her boss. "He's no longer answering his cellphone, either personal or business. Upon further inspection we have reason to believe that he's been communicating with Agent Taisho."

Bokuseno Suzuki glared at her. "Taisho – _no longer_ Agent Taisho. _Fuck_, the next person I hear say that will be on the next flight out to bumfuck _nowhere_. Got that?"

The agents around the room seemed to scurry faster, avoiding eye contact and leaving a good few feet of room. It was like he was a ticking time bomb, about to explode at any moment. Rin tried not to run away herself. She was standing in the middle of the CFPD's temporary office that had been set up for all of the agents working on finding Inuyasha Taisho and Kagome Higurashi. Right now, FBI agents and Coral police officers were stampeding around with mind-numbing information and truckload's worth of papers.

"Agent Noto," Bokuseno hissed, taking a step closer to intimidate the smaller woman.

Rin was used to this scare tactic, mainly because most men tried it to piss her off or terrify her. Too bad Rin didn't like to take crap, especially from dicks who liked to pick on people half their size – which was roughly her height. "Yes sir," she said, meeting his harsh brown eyes. They were so dark, the colour was almost black. It was just a bit nerve-wracking.

"Where is Special Agent Shippo Watanabe?" Bokuseno asked again, slapping his hand down on one of the desks beside him. "Can you tell me where he is?"

Personally, Rin didn't understand why a man of such position and power within the FBI unit was so terrible at interrogation. He asked the same question fifty times. Rin told him the first time that she didn't know. It was like he expected her to remember after the twentieth time he asked. When that didn't happen, he obviously moved his bets to the fiftieth. "I don't know, sir. We can't get a location on him. He doesn't have his cellphone on so we can't get a lock on his GPS signal."

Growling, Bokuseno paced around the small room. "And you think he's with Taisho?"

"We believe so," Rin confirmed.

"Well why the _fuck_ are you standing here Agent Noto?" Bokuseno yelled. "Go find me Agent Watanabe!"

"Yes sir," Rin mumbled, looking down at the ground. Damn this man, he was so infuriating. He was a genius. He was one of the greatest in the FBI. But by god, he was such a dick.

Waiting for him to stomp away, Rin ignored the sympathetic looks from her co-workers and went to the bathroom. She locked herself in one of the stalls and grabbed her personal cellphone from her belt. Bokuseno would probably fire her ass for this if he found out, but right now, she didn't really care.

"_Hello_?"

"Sesshomaru," Rin breathed, letting her head rest against the tile wall. "What are you doing right now?"

"_It's six in the morning_," he said sharply. "_I was sleeping_."

"Well you're not anymore," Rin replied with a smile. "I'm sorry, do you mind?"

She heard the sound of rustling sheets and couldn't help but wonder what the stoic and odd Sesshomaru Taisho wore to bed. It was an odd thought but she was running low on brain cells so she didn't mind. "What are you doing later tonight?"

"_I'm at my cottage so I don't have any plans_," Sesshomaru responded and she could hear a slight groan. "_Why_?"

"Can we meet?" Rin asked in a whisper, almost worried about asking. When they had dinner four nights ago, it had gone by very smoothly – or as smoothly as Rin thought it could, given she couldn't talk about his half-brother's case and he was pretty much a monotone and _very_ pressing man. They had left the restaurant separately after she kissed him on the cheek. She hadn't talked to him since but right now, that was all she wanted to do. "I really need something to take my mind off work."

"_Alright_," Sesshomaru replied. "_Did you want to go out again for dinner_?"

"No," she answered sharply, shaking her head even though she knew he couldn't see. "Can we just...be at your place? Do you mind? I really just want to do something that _doesn't_ require talking."

"_...You move fast_."

Rin scoffed. "No! _No_. I didn't mean... Sesshomaru, you were the last person I thought would think like that. I mean a movie? Maybe some terrible horror flick since I totally don't see you as a chick-flick kind of guy."

"_Right_," he said calmly, in the same tone as he had been previously throughout the conversation. "_If you'd like, although I think you would prefer the non-movie option_."

"I'll be there at seven," Rin laughed. "And pick five terrible movies that you want to watch. Bye."

Sesshomaru was something else. A cold, monotone-speaking bastard of a lawyer who constantly surprised her, Rin was almost shocked every time they spoke.

She was shaking her head, trying to stop the smile from spreading on her face.

No, they would be watching a movie tonight.

That's all.

...And maybe some kissing if he was lucky.

* * *

Inuyasha sat in yet another new vehicle – a large pickup truck that was a little more inconspicuous than the usual. Did he care? Not particularly.

Cellphone in hand, turned off and most likely dead, Inuyasha growled. Shippo was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago. Where the hell was he? If that stupid little ginger didn't show up soon, Inuyasha was going to hunt him down and tear him a new one so fucking fast–

"Inuyasha!"

Snapping his head around and peering out the truck window, he saw his old partner running towards him. The orange-red mop of hair flipped to and fro in the cold breeze and green eyes focused on his face. He instantly got into the passenger seat, leaning against the leather chair and taking in several deep breaths. Inuyasha would've smirked but he was too pissed off, too fucking out-of-his-mind worried about Kagome to even tilt his lips. "Long time no see Shippo," he said quietly, starting up the truck and driving slowly around the block.

"It's been a week," the younger agent pointed out, glaring with his emerald eyes. "But I imagine for you it feels like a whole hell of a lot longer."

Inuyasha grunted. "Someone has Kagome."

"I got that as much from your screaming and cursing rant when we were talking on the phone yesterday," Shippo said, running his hand through his mop of hair. "Do you have any idea who has her and what they would want?"

Sighing, Inuyasha pulled into the drive-thru of a fast food restaurant, ordering himself some lunch along with whatever Shippo wanted. When the food was in their hands, Inuyasha parked in the lot and started to eat. Between mouthfuls of food the FBI agent sighed. "There are only three groups I can think of. One is the Panther Gang. They were the ones that planted the bomb in Kagome's purse as we learned when we talked to her old boss."

"You talked to–"

Inuyasha held a hand up, glaring. "You've been out of the loop for a while, so let me finish this shitload of crap, okay?"

Shippo rolled his eyes, digging into his own food.

"He was blackmailed into giving her location to them, so they planted the bomb, made the building go boom, blah blah blah."

"Well that's great right?" Shippo interrupted rather excitedly. "The bomb is your problem anyways. Once forensics comes back with information we can probably follow that lead–"

"Shippo."

Sighing, the younger agent took another big bite of his food.

"The bomb isn't our only problem. We've stolen cars and then there was that whole fiasco at the store–"

"I heard about that," Shippo said, picking at his food. "We found the guy in the store though. He identified you but said that someone started shooting from the trees. He doesn't know who though, so that means it's not _necessarily_ placed against–"

"For fuck's sake," Inuyasha snapped, glaring at the orange-haired agent. "Will you shut up?"

Shippo actually looked a little sheepish as he nodded and tightened his lips into a hard line. "Sorry."

"Anyways there's the Panther Gang, the Brotherhood Mafia and some other third player that sent a hit-woman on us. I had to kill her. She's the reason I wanted to call you in the first place. This hit-woman carried a Glock G21. The bullets were .45. I think that whoever tried to kill Kagome is also the one who killed Gatenmaru. I need you to run her prints and see what you can find out about her. Maybe who she works for–"

"Inuyasha–"

"Goddammit Shippo. What?" Inuyasha yelled, turning to glare at him. "What could you possibly have to say now?"

"Well, I can't go back," Shippo responded quietly, looking out the window. "Do you remember Agent Noto?"

"The small one? Rin, I think her name was?" Inuyasha asked, confused as to why Shippo was so suddenly sullen. Shit. No fucking way.

"She's been on my case from the beginning... I was talking to her and she really believed that you didn't do this, you know? She was the only one in the entire unit that didn't think anything was wrong with me, or you. Whatever." He shook his head. "She caught me looking through folders for you – not that you asked, I was just trying to help. She freaked out on me, threatened to tell Bokuseno. We fought, obviously. She's been watching me closely ever since. I tried to get away from her. I sent her off on some chase of a lead... Anyways, she found out that I'm gone. She's probably told the boss now, which means I can't go back."

"Are you shitting me?" Inuyasha asked, without any heat in his words. "This is just fucking great."

"Now my career is down the crapper like yours," Shippo agreed.

Inuyasha grunted. "Alright. What did you bring with you, anything?"

"If we go to my car, I have some weapons but that's about it. I can't help you find anything on this hit-woman."

Inuyasha swore under his breath, looking out the window and tapping his hands along the steering wheel. This was just additional crap that really wasn't useful for him. He needed to get to Kagome. He needed to find her because dammit, she could die. Fuck. "Goddammit!" Inuyasha shouted, smacking the dashboard and making Shippo jump. "Why the _fuck_ did I let her do that?"

Shippo watched as Inuyasha flipped out, hitting various things in the pickup truck. It wasn't hard to see the absolute pain in his golden eyes, nor was it hard to see what was hiding underneath. "You love her, don't you? A week and you fell in love with her? Really?"

"It was over a week!" Inuyasha snapped, glaring at him. "And who the hell do you think you are to be asking me crap like that? I do not!"

Shippo nodded to himself, rolling his eyes and looking out the window. "If it helps you sleep at night."

"It won't actually because Kagome has been kidnapped. Did you miss the fucking memo?"

"No because you've been screaming about it since I first talked to you!" Shippo yelled back. "If you want to find her you should _shut up_ and take us to my car so we can get what we need and start searching!" It was like something in him snapped. Maybe it was because his career was so forgone now that he couldn't care less about anything else.

Inuyasha preferred to think of it as Shippo actually growing a set. Not that the stupid little ginger was right because he wasn't.

Not entirely anyways.

Grumbling, Inuyasha threw his garbage out the window with no heed for the environment before heading in the direction to Shippo's car. The younger agent gave him directions between mouthfuls of still uneaten food, taking the weapons out and hiding them in the pickup truck.

"So where are we going to start?" he asked when he sat back in the passenger seat, looking at Inuyasha with questioning eyes. The silver-haired man had been silent with the exception of a few choice words since Shippo snapped at him. He had deserved it but now it made him wonder.

Inuyasha shrugged. "We can't follow up the lead of the hit-woman, so we have to assume it wasn't them for now. That leaves us with the Panther Gang and the Brotherhood Mafia."

"Honestly, I don't think the Panther Gang would be behind this," Shippo murmured, tapping his fingers against the window. "The gang is famous for weapons, blowing shit up and stealing more weapons. They haven't done anything remotely related to kidnapping and I don't think they're that desperate. I think it was a onetime deal with that bomb. With the FBI after her, I don't think the Panther Gang would try to touch her with a ten-foot pole. If the FBI is looking, they would surely get caught in the process."

"But then why would the mafia touch her?" Inuyasha questioned. "It's the same deal. The FBI is on the case so why would they try?"

"The Brotherhood Mafia has committed how many crimes?" Shippo asked, trying not to smile.

"The ones that we know about? At least twenty crimes – various nature."

"How many members of the Brotherhood Mafia have gone to jail?"

Inuyasha grunted, thinking of the resounding zero that popped into his head. "Fine. We'll follow up on that first. Any ideas on how to start?"

Shippo grinned. "Well duh."

* * *

It was like a really bad dream.

Kagome could hardly remember what was going on, where she was, what happened last. Her hearing came forward first, stirring her out of consciousness as the sounds of deep voices discussed pressing matters. She didn't open her eyes – she wasn't even sure she could. With her hands and feet bound, her body lying across some sort of rough bench seat in a van, Kagome was positive that whatever happened last wasn't good.

She struggled to recall her memories, to bring them back to her. It was fuzzy at first, like walking in a fog and trying to find the sign pointing her home. All she could manage was the basketball court and feeling anxious...

"Why the hell are we even doing this shit?" one deep voice asked, growling low in his throat. Kagome couldn't tell who was speaking. She couldn't even see past the rough material of the seat she was flopped on. "The fucking girl isn't going to bring us any good. She ain't exactly rolling in the dough."

"I really thought she'd be more – I don't know – better dressed? I mean, if she's trying to not stick out like a sore thumb than she's doing a very poor–"

"Jakotsu," another voice snapped, not as deep as the first. "Will you shut up? No one gives a shit."

"Whatever," Jakotsu mumbled. "Are we sure she's even alive? Kyokotsu pretty much choked her to death with his massive, ugly giant hands."

"I could choke you if you wanted," the deep voice, who Kagome figured was Kyokotsu, snarled.

"Enough you two!" the other, unnamed voice shouted. "Fuck! Kyokotsu, check her vitals. Jakotsu, really, _shut up_."

Kagome tried to even her breathing, remaining in the limp position she hadn't moved from since waking. She felt hard and rough hands scratch at her neck and Kagome had to will her heartbeat to slow down so she didn't get caught. Maybe the guy didn't know how fast it should be beating...

"She's alive," Kyokotsu muttered, removing his hand from the pale girl's neck. "Why the hell are we even doing this anyways? Like I said, there's no monetary value for her body dead or alive."

"I told you," said the other voice. "This girl is important. All we have to do is keep her locked up. That's it."

"Well I don't like it," Jakotsu said in retort, clearly unhappy. "We should've just thrown her in a ditch for the cops to find."

"The point is to hide her from the cops, idiot," the male voice snapped. "Jakotsu, I'm not going to tell you again. _Shut_ _the_ _fuck_ _up_."

There was a long grumble of choice words but Kagome could barely make them out. She was still trying to calm her heart and relax against the seat. It was getting harder now. Her one arm was tingling from lack of blood circulation and the pain was starting to become unbearable. She wanted to desperately move, but if she did, they might stop talking and she'd never get more information.

Right now she knew that they weren't going to hurt her. She just had to be smart about her surroundings and try to find an escape when possible. She could do this.

"Do we need to fucking get that FBI agent too?" Kyokotsu asked, sounding somewhat hesitant. "He's going to be a bit harder than this one."

"No," the other male answered and Kagome felt the hard turn of the van veer, sending her to move just a fraction of an inch off of her arm. The relief was incredible. "He comes to us. That's the purpose of the girl."

"And why do we want him?"

"An FBI agent?" the unknown male laughed. "Yeah, the ransom over his head is worth _nothing_." He laughed again, the sarcasm leaving his voice. "He can get us a lot of leeway with the feds, if you know what I mean. Do a deal, hold him hostage. The bitch no one cares about but a trained FBI agent with secrets and network passwords? They won't just let him go."

Silence filled the car but Kagome's heart started moving triple-time, almost tearing her apart. It would be a miracle if they couldn't hear the loud beating, pulsing in her ears and rushing the blood through her system. She was bait for Inuyasha? Thinking about it, Inuyasha would definitely be looking for her. She knew he wouldn't just give up. And he was smart. He would be able to find her no problem.

Shit, she had to escape. She had to warn him somehow.

The van veered again harshly and Kagome's head smashed against the door with a thickening thud. There was no way she could fake being asleep now.

_Damn._

Slowly opening her eyes, Kagome shook her head as if to try and get her bearings. She turned around, watching the van with horror-struck eyes before trying desperately to sit up. She needed to pretend that she was unaware of everything that just passed, like she was just waking up to a nightmare.

"Let me go!" Kagome screamed, struggling against the cloth that bound her wrists and ankles. "What do you want with me? Let me go! Please!"

"Wakey wakey," the man Kagome assumed was Jakotsu said, smiling pearly white teeth at her. "Finally, we thought you'd never wake up."

"Who are you?" Kagome gasped, even though she already knew the answer. There couldn't be anyone else. This was the Brotherhood Mafia. One look at their clothes and the way they held themselves was enough evidence for her. Shit. She was in a lot more trouble than she thought – if that was even possible. The van abruptly stopped and Kagome made a desperate whine as she struggled some more with the bindings.

"Please shut up," the other man said, turning around and smiling at her. He had long black hair pulled back at the nap of his neck. His eyes were sparkling with something that Kagome didn't even want to name. "Be a good little girl and stay quiet. If you don't, I'll have to kill you."

Kagome ran the thought over in her mind, knowing that they weren't going to try to hurt her... But she needed to stay conscious and there was no doubt that they would knock her out if she started to struggle. She needed to see the entrance, possible escape routes and where she was being held.

Her thoughts didn't do her much good. The moment she stepped out of the van she was blindfolded and roughly shoved into a building. She could tell that it was large in space from the ominous echoes that followed each footstep. She was led downstairs, practically carried the entire duration down because she couldn't see a thing. The sound of a door opening... She was shoved inside a room, barely able to tell anything about it when the blindfold was ripped off and her hands were cuffed around a pole. Fuck.

The men left without another word, instead choosing to give her snide leers and looks of utter wickedness. When the door was shut, a small lamp illuminated her view. There in the corner was another woman and she didn't look pleased.

"Kagome Higurashi?" the woman snapped, her dark lips tightened into a line. "No fucking way."

Frowning, Kagome nodded, unsure of what the long, black-haired woman was so angry at her for. Maybe she got caught up in the mess somehow? Was it really her fault?

"Fucking Yura," the woman hissed. "You can't pay people enough these days to kill someone. You're supposed to be fucking _dead_!" the woman screamed. "You – _you_ – are the cause for all of this! You're the reason I'm down here!"

"I don't understand," Kagome whispered, trying to match her face with a name.

"The moment you opened that pretty little mouth of yours about dirty companies, I had to hide everything because we were about to be examined. _Fuck you_. I had to pay people off and look where it got me! Here, with you."

The pieces started to click into place. "You hired that woman to kill me?" she asked, brown eyes wide. "You're the one that killed Gatenmaru?"

"What the _fuck_ do you know?" the woman hissed. "He was the only link I had to that son of a bitch Naraku. I very well couldn't be linked to his drug ring."

Before Kagome could even say anything back, a tall man with piercing eyes opened the door, grinning wickedly at the other woman.

"Kaguya, guess what?" the man whispered, stepping closer with three other men behind him. "Your little passwords worked. All of the money has been transferred to me and the company. Well, with you gone that puts me in charge, huh?"

"Ryukotsusei–" Kaguya started, cut off when a gun was pointed at her head.

"You're useless now and really, just baggage on my new life. Bye Kaguya, thanks again." And then the trigger was pulled and Kagome was left speechless and frozen with blood dripping down her face.

* * *

**I don't know what's going to happen next. Not a friggen clue. Huh.**

**Please let me know what you think!**


	21. Chapter 21

**How TERRIBLE am I? Oh my goodness. I've totally overestimated my ability to write in the little time span I have available. Sorry this is so late!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

* * *

**

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Twenty-One

* * *

_

Besides the small lamp in the corner, Kagome had no light. There was no window or clock to tell her what time it was. She could've been here for minutes. She could've been here for hours. She could've been here for days. Everything was a blur.

The moment the woman named Kaguya was shot in the head, it was like time just went still. She watched in utter horror as the man called Ryukotsusei wiped at the blood on his arm with a wicked grin. He looked at her for a long moment before signalling to the two men behind him to "clean up the mess". Kagome had never been more disturbed in her life.

"You could be next," he said slowly, exaggerating each word for more emphasis. Kagome didn't need the emphasis – she knew exactly how bad her situation was.

"Who are you? Are you the one that's been trying to kill me?"

Ryukotsusei laughed as if what she was suggesting was ludicrous. "Not even close," he replied, shaking his head as he started to leave the room. "No I don't want you dead. That doesn't mean that someone else wants to keep you alive though."

"Tell me who." She was practically begging now, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. She tried to ignore the limp body that was being dragged out the room, the pool of blood that was following it. Focusing on Ryukotsusei's voice instead and the pure evil that was shown on his face, Kagome ignored it all.

"But then where would all the fun be?" the man asked, watching her with piercing eyes. "I'm not part of your situation. I'm out for myself, just like everyone else in this greedy, self-absorbed world."

It wasn't the answer she was looking for. It wasn't the answer she wanted at all. "Please," she pleaded, fighting with the cuffs around her wrists. "Tell me who wants me dead."

Ryukotsusei smiled. "Goodbye."

"Goddammit!" Kagome screamed, reaching out with her body to escape, to get the hell out of there. The handcuffs broke the skin, another cry ripped out of her throat from the pain.

She watched as the men left the room. The click of the door sounded final to her ears, leaving her in deafening silence. There was nothing left but the sound of her breathing and the scattered blood across the floor and wall.

Suddenly the taste of copper filled her mouth and she shuddered, spitting out the blood that was dripping down her face. She hastily wiped it away, trying hard not to cry. She needed to put herself together and focus. But it just wasn't coming.

_Breathe. Think. Relax._

_Breathe. Think. Relax._

Kagome tried to steady herself for a long while. It could've been a full day for all she knew before her heartbeat slowed to its natural rhythm. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Now what?

The fear started to claw at her again, ripping from deep within her belly to somewhere out of her throat. A mangled cry forced its way out and Kagome slammed her mouth shut. Breathe in. Breathe out. She had to get control of herself.

_Stop looking at the blood on the walls, the floor._

_Stop looking period. Close your eyes._

It took another long while before Kagome willed the calm over her body once more. This time, she was sure that it was under control. Her eyes were heavy now with sleep but she knew that she wouldn't fall into slumber any time soon. Letting her eyes flutter closed, she relaxed as best she could into the pole that dug painfully into her back. Right now, she had nothing to do but think.

The only thing that was crowding her mind right now was Kaguya, the woman that had just died before her eyes. She pushed past the thought rather quickly, trying to focus on Ryukotsusei instead. He was obviously someone who worked with the woman, maybe a second in command figure? Whatever it was, Kaguya had seemed terrified the moment he walked into the room. What had he said to her?

_Well, with you gone that puts me in charge, huh?_

Yes, Ryukotsusei had to be Kaguya's second in command. Now, what did she do?

Kagome thought back to the brief but heated exchange between them and the words that Kaguya had so easily thrown at her.

_You – you – are the cause for all of this! You're the reason I'm down here!_

Kagome shuddered at the thought, at the absolute horror of how she was the reason the woman was dead. It was almost too much so Kagome instantly squashed the feeling, moving on quickly before her emotions and fear took over completely.

_The moment you opened that pretty little mouth of yours about dirty companies, I had to hide everything because we were about to be examined._

Examined? By who? The police? No, Naraku's case had been too high-profile for the Coral Police Department to worry about solely. This had to be bigger. This had to be FBI. Inuyasha was FBI, right? But he was focusing on another murder... Gatenmaru Koyasu.

_He was the only link I had to that son of a bitch Naraku. I very well couldn't be linked to his drug ring._

So Kaguya was dirty. Her business dipped into the profits and unique selling capabilities of what Naraku provided. The drugs that had been tearing up most of Florida had been circulated by more than just Naraku's gang. As Kagome had suspected from previous interviews with reliable sources, the Brotherhood Mafia, the Panther Gang and other companies were involved. Kaguya's company – whatever it was – was involved in the drug ring and circulation.

Gatenmaru had been the sole link between Kaguya and Naraku. For whatever reason he was there, Kaguya realized that the man would be dangerous. Had the FBI found him alive, they could very well strike up a deal with him so they could get the big bad companies. So Kaguya hired Yura, the hit-woman that had been chasing her and Inuyasha for over a week. Yura killed Gatenmaru, since the gun was identified by Inuyasha as the same model. Yura was hired to kill them because Kagome threatened her.

Even if Kagome was being hunted down by the police, she could very well be put into the same category as Gatenmaru. If she gathered a case against Kaguya's company, the FBI would strike a deal with her. Given her current shitty position, that would've been the smart thing to do for a criminal on the run.

Too bad she had Inuyasha to keep her on the straight and narrow.

Now look where she was.

Sighing and pushing forward, Kagome realized that was the only thing keeping her going. She needed to force herself forwards, keep her mind busy with puzzling questions.

Here was one: why was she in the same basement with a woman who was being held by Ryukotsusei when she was being held by the Brotherhood Mafia? Kagome was positive that those three men were part of the dangerous and often invincible group. So why was she here trapped by them when Ryukotsusei was the one that held Kaguya here?

It didn't make any sense.

_I'm not part of your situation. I'm out for myself, just like everyone else in this greedy, self-absorbed world._

Ryukotsusei had made his words pretty clear. He had nothing to do with her. So what did the Brotherhood Mafia and Ryukotsusei, a businessman, have in common?

_This fucking basement_, she thought bitterly, opening her eyes but hardly feeling rested. She looked around the dim room, taking in the off-white walls, the even dirtier-coloured trim, the lamp on the desk in the far corner, the several poles... Eyeing the wall close to her, Kagome spotted a rusted nail in the trim. It was lodged pretty deep and didn't look to be the safest thing in the whole room but Kagome realized she didn't have a choice.

Struggling to situate herself so that her shoulder dug painfully into the pole as she lay on her stomach, Kagome found that she could just barely reach the wall – and the nail she had her sights on. She had no experience with lock picking she realized grimly. She had a very slim chance that she could even pry the nail from the wood trim.

But she didn't have a choice.

She had an unanswered question. Why were Ryukotsusei and the Brotherhood Mafia together?

And she'd be fucking damned if she didn't live to find out.

* * *

Four days later and Inuyasha was no closer to finding Kagome than he had been on that stupid fucking Wednesday. Shippo had joined him on the Thursday, coming up with a plan to find the Brotherhood Mafia. So far, they had been shit out of luck. The connection Shippo had with the band had been a bit farfetched but as desperate as he was, Inuyasha followed every lead.

Now they were sitting across the street from a fancy, expensive French restaurant, watching as people flooded in and out of the building.

"Inuyasha, you're starting to worry me," Shippo said, his voice snapping him back to reality.

Flipping him off, Inuyasha didn't even bother to spare him a glance. Looking away from the people meant that he could potentially miss their target.

"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about," Shippo went on. "I don't think you've blinked in the last hour."

"That's not possible Shippo," Inuyasha snapped, still watching. Sure he blinked. Just very quickly and not as often as his tired eyes wanted to. He'd been getting very little sleep, trying at every second to find this man they were looking for.

His name was Ryukotsusei Inoue and he was the personal assistant of Kaguya Ohta, the owner of one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies out there. Originally, he hadn't been their man. Shippo's connection with the Brotherhood Mafia only heard bits of information – how, Inuyasha didn't even want to know. Apparently as of recent, the band had been taking an interest in a major pharmaceutical company. This hadn't made Inuyasha happier at the time. There were thousands of companies that specialized in pharmaceuticals. The funny thing was that after some research, Shippo managed to find a company that was actually founded in Coral and was still headquartered there.

The owner was a woman named Kaguya Ohta. For a full two days, Inuyasha and Shippo had been attempting to track down her whereabouts. It hadn't been easy. They had to talk to secretary after friend after business associate to try and pry out any knowledge as to where the rich woman was. Apparently, no one had a clue. She had just disappeared one day out of thin air. It was two days Inuyasha would never get back.

Then they changed their focus to her personal assistant, the man who had been running the company ever since. Ryukotsusei hadn't been too difficult to track down but he wasn't exactly the easiest. There was a way about him that made him flow in between the crowds without being noticed. It was like he knew he was being watched and that frustrated him more than anything.

Currently, Ryukotsusei was eating at the French restaurant they were sitting outside. It had been two long and very boring hours.

"Are you sure he didn't slip out without you noticing?" Shippo's voice sounded again and Inuyasha almost jumped. Just as quick, Inuyasha almost punching him in the face.

"No," he said sharply, still staring out the window.

"But–"

"No."

There was more silence and if Inuyasha had been in a more considerate mood he would've tried to clear the air. Right now he was pissed, he was tired and he was fucking out of his mind worried about Kagome. He could tell that Shippo wanted to tease him about it but the fact of the matter was that Inuyasha had a gun and he would be under no circumstances afraid to use it.

"I've been reading up on Ryukotsusei's file," Shippo murmured, quietly in case Inuyasha did decide to punch him. "It's strange."

"How?" Inuyasha still didn't turn from the window.

Shippo shrugged, flipping through a couple of pages he'd already read. "Well the guy had some serious trouble as a kid. Robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence..."

"So he's no classy act," Inuyasha huffed. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"People don't just change," Shippo replied. "In the few years I've been in this world of crime, I've learned a lot of things. One of the biggest is that people who you think have changed, never really did. They just hid it better the second time around. I'm not saying it isn't possible but–"

"You're rambling."

Sighing loudly, the orange-haired boy grumbled. "He was in a position that was only bested by Kaguya. With this strange disappearance, Ryukotsusei has risen to the top."

"And?"

"I'm sorry, aren't you the veteran FBI agent?" Shippo snarled, rolling his eyes. "Clearly, Ryukotsusei has motive to kill her."

"And what does this have to do with anything?" Inuyasha repeated, barely feeling up to getting angry at Shippo's insult. He thought about it for a moment longer, processing each word. "Ryukotsusei is dirty. The company is dirty. All the shit's been hitting the fan because of Naraku's trial."

"Ryukotsusei offs Kaguya to take over the company. Man that business is worth millions. He'd be set for life."

Inuyasha merely watched the world outside, letting it sink in.

"I could shoot you right now and you would never know it was going to happen because you're looking out that window so intently," Shippo stated, rolling his emerald green eyes. "Look, we're not going to miss him."

"There." The word flew out of Inuyasha's mouth so fast it took Shippo a second to process it before responding. He gave a curt nod to the FBI agent before slipping out the passenger door and locking on their target.

Ryukotsusei was walking down the street, hands dug deep in his designer jeans as he shuffled along. Shippo instantly took off behind him, staying a few feet back. The distinct sound of the truck's engine rumbling to life behind him did nothing to sate the nerves and adrenaline pumping through his veins. This is why Shippo loved doing what he did.

Earlier, he and Inuyasha discussed how Shippo should be the one to start things off. If he could get information out of the man without confrontation then everything would be fine. If things didn't go so smoothly...that's why Inuyasha was following.

Shippo followed the dark-haired man with careful steps, making sure to keep his head low and his body scrunched – practically invisible in the night sky. Ryukotsusei seemed to be determined to get somewhere that wasn't populated with people, heading to a more isolated part of the city. Some part of Shippo's mind started to go off with alarms and whistles. The man was rich now – why not have a driver? Yet, even as the warnings filled him, the FBI agent continued to move seamlessly through the crowd, following every footstep of their target. The alarms practically broke they got so loud when Ryukotsusei turned down an alley. He made a motion with his fingers in the air to signal his partner, to tell him to stop the truck. Inuyasha's been driving touch and go the entire walk, not following by foot in case they needed a quick getaway. A closer parked truck was always better than a lot of running on foot.

The alley was dark without lighting, showing off the piles of discarded garbage and cardboard. He knew that there were people hiding out in there, homeless and hungry out in the darkness. Shippo pushed down the wave of nausea that built within him before continuing, following the man that seemed to have no intentions of stopping.

It occurred to Shippo that man must know he's behind him, tracing his footsteps. He wondered idly why they were so far in the alley and the target had yet to talk to him. Typically the moment the alleyway swallowed them whole into the night, criminals or fiends made a joke about how stupid they were to follow. They don't know that usually there's a plan involving more than just the two of them.

Placing his hand down on his side holster, Shippo wasted no time in pulling out the gun and clicking off the safety. He stood tense and ready as the words left his lips, the cold silence that followed thick and heavy in the blackness of the night. "Stop."

Halting, Ryukotsusei slowly turned around and studied him. "All alone are we?"

"We'll go with that," Shippo said simply, gun still against his flank. "Where are you going?"

"To find a cab," Ryukotsusei replied, grinning. "I figured the street over would be less busy to find one."

Shippo rolled his eyes. "Like that isn't that lamest excuse I've ever heard."

"What do you want? I know you're FBI," Ryukotsusei said, looking at Shippo with interest. "I've already talked to the police about Ms. Ohta's disappearance."

Shippo felt Inuyasha there before he heard him, knowing that there was a smirk plastered across his face. "Yes, her _disappearance_. Funny how much you gain from that," Inuyasha stated, arms crossing over his chest.

"Are you implying anything?" Ryukotsusei asked. "I'll answer whatever you want."

It took Inuyasha a total of five massive steps before he was right in Ryukotsusei's face, hands on the man's jacket and lifting him slightly.

"Gun!" Shippo shouted, raising his own as she spotted it in a side holster previously hidden by his jacket. "Inuyasha–"

"I got it," he snapped, reaching over to grab the gun while Ryukotsusei just smiled wickedly. "What's so funny?"

"I know who you are," the man said slowly, tilting his head. "You're the FBI agent, Inuyasha Taisho. Weren't you on the run with that woman of yours? The reporter?"

"What do you know about her?" The words were quick and cutting coming from his mouth, his hands shaking him for emphasis. When Ryukotsusei didn't immediately answer, Inuyasha growled. "What the _fuck_ do you know?"

"Nothing." It sounded like a lie.

Temper reached, Inuyasha threw the man and smashed him up against the brick wall. He screamed threats and hit the guy against the hard wall, unable to stop.

"Inuyasha," Shippo said calmly, taking Ryukotsusei's gun from Inuyasha's hands so that it didn't accidentally go off in their faces. "He's not going to talk like this."

"The fuck he won't," Inuyasha hissed before smashing him into the wall again. "Talk."

"I don't know anything about the girl," Ryukotsusei said sharply, glaring at the two of them. "I've been busy looking for Kaguya. I've been trying to run the company alone."

"Bullshit."

"Call it what you want," Ryukotsusei hissed back, eyes glinting with malice. "I didn't do anything to the girl."

"But you know where she is," Shippo said, speaking up against him for the first time. "Where is she?"

"I don't know." It still sounded fake and Inuyasha's growl grew louder. "I don't know," Ryukotsusei repeated. "I'm not the one that took her."

Inuyasha stood there for a moment, clawed hands tugging at the man's jacket. He could feel the erratic heartbeat of the other man and see his breath in the cool night's air. "You're working with whoever took her." It was a statement, not a question. While the logic was just meaningless jumbles in his mind, the educated guess stood out. Ryukotsusei had nothing to gain from Kagome's disappearance or death. While he may have or may have not killed Kaguya, Kagome wasn't involved. Looking at the business attire Ryukotsusei was wearing and the way his manicured nails and styled hair just screamed clean, Inuyasha decided right then and there that Ryukotsusei would never do the dirty work.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're a shit liar, you know that?" Inuyasha barked, slamming his against the wall again and hearing the thick thud of his head against the brick. "You're working with the Brotherhood Mafia, aren't you?"

"Not them." It was another lie, his wicked eyes betraying him.

"We know they had interesting in your company," Shippo snapped, aiming the gun at Ryukotsusei's head. "Where is Kagome?"

"I don't know."

"Where is the Brotherhood Mafia located?" Inuyasha asked.

"I don't know."

"Why did they take her?"

"I don't know."

Faster than a blink of an eye, Inuyasha's fist was cutting through the air, landing squarely on the man's jaw. Just like that, Ryukotsusei was knocked unconscious. Letting him drop to the ground, Inuyasha looked at Shippo with deep intensity. "It's them for sure. We need to find their whereabouts."

"How?" Shippo asked. "We can't find out now because you're so damned volatile–"

And that's when they heard shouting.

* * *

Rin was barely aware of anything right now.

Work was shitty. The whole fucking _day_ was shitty. And right now? She'd never felt worse. Driving right from the precinct, Rin hadn't taken any thought or notice as to where she was driving. It wasn't towards home, even though her outfit was part uniform and part sweats. The words Bokuseno said to her still rang clearly in her ears. _We finally got access to his apartment. The warrant went through. Do you know what we found?_

It just didn't make sense. None of it made any sense. Rin barely knew Inuyasha Taisho but she knew Shippo and she knew how much he adored the veteran FBI agent. Yet even as Bokuseno told her the words, she knew they couldn't be true. If she knew that then why didn't he? The whole thing was a setup, a trap by some unknown person.

Suddenly there was a door in front of her. She was at Sesshomaru's cottage. The door was unlocked and Rin barely knocked before letting herself inside, too spaced out and worried to think straight. She saw him in the kitchen, looking at her with a face of barely registered shock. He schooled his emotions well.

"Sesshomaru, you're brother–"

"We don't talk about the case," Sesshomaru said briskly, calmly.

"We found a couple million dollars worth of drugs – Naraku's drugs. Inuyasha's a dirty agent and now Bokuseno is going to make sure he gets the death penalty when he's caught. I- I just don't know anymore."

It just didn't make sense.

* * *

**So it seems like the story is coming to a close soon. I think in about...three to five chapters? As I said, I have no friggen clue what's happening. I know the basics (and all the twists and turns because, yes, there are quite a few left) but I'm not sure how each will fit into a chapter.**

**Leave me your thoughts!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Two chapters left.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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**

**Target Locked**

_Chapter Twenty-Two

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_

If it was the last thing he ever did, Bokuseno Suzuki was going to get Inuyasha and Kagome. It was going to be his life mission as of right now, to have them captured and together with nowhere to escape to. He would do it. He would accomplish it and make the world a better place. He would get the fucking promotion that had passed by him several times already. He would get the recognition that he damn well deserved. All he had to do was get the both of them into his hands and everything would sail smoothly from there.

Too bad nothing was working out for him. Running a hand through his greying black hair, the FBI agent sighed dramatically. The office the CFPD had provided them looked eerily close to an explosion. Papers were everywhere, garbage lying about and Bokuseno debated threatening them all with their jobs if they didn't try to clean up after themselves. He would have if he thought it would work.

Just then FBI Special Agent Rin Noto walked in, looking tired and overwhelmed as she entered the room. She headed straight towards the coffee machine, pouring herself a cup before sighing and drinking it right away. It must've burned at the very least.

"What's going on Noto?" Bokuseno asked, looking at the petite woman. He admired her and quite frankly hated her. She was a good agent and proved herself time and time again. She made up for her size easily with her strong tongue and big voice. Still, she let her emotions run her ragged and she tended to feel things for the victims or the bad guys that shouldn't be felt. If anyone was to break protocol or disobey his orders, it would be her. She hadn't yet, but keeping a close eye on her wouldn't be a bad thing.

"Nothing sir," Rin responded, sighing again and pouring herself a second cup. "Forensics finished up at Taisho's house. Nothing is out of the ordinary–"

"Except the massive amount of _Demon X_ that's hiding out there," Bokuseno finished, staring at her pointedly.

For a moment, it looked like she was going to stay something. Her eyes were strong and her jaw seemed to clench. He watched her, almost daring her to say anything against him. Instead, she nodded her head and took another sip of bitter liquid. "Yes. We've catalogued everything thus far and the samples of _Demon X _are being sent back to our TOX to see if we can get a hit on other hands."

"You think it's a set up Noto?" Bokuseno asked, raising a brow. "Is there any evidence?"

Rin shook her head. "No, I don't believe it's a set up. Taisho is running and is thus guilty of his crimes sir. With Naraku Morikawa's trial still ongoing, any evidence to help further convict him is beneficial. It'll help strengthen our case against Taisho as well." Looking around the room, she tapped on a stack of papers before straightening them out.

Bokuseno watched her curiously, wondering what she was going to do. One moment she looked like she was going to disobey him and the next she was screaming 'guilty' just as loud as he was. It was a mess to track her with.

"Excuse me, sir?" a female voice asked, and Bokuseno turned around to see another one of the agents staring expectantly at him. To be honest, she looked a bit terrified too.

Good. Fear was better when leading a bunch of gun-slinging, black-suited agents around.

"Yes?" he asked, nodding for her to step in. "What is it?"

"We've just received a call from head of security at–"

Bokuseno listened carefully, picking out the phrases _seen on camera_ and _walking out of nowhere_. This Kagome girl had gone into a major supercentre four days ago. She was caught on film purchasing a disposable cell phone with cash. No paper trail but the photo from the security tape is clear: Kagome Higurashi in person.

"And this was _four_ days ago?" Bokuseno exclaimed, glaring at the agent who was brave enough to tell him. "Why weren't we informed prior?"

The agent cringed, backing into the doorway as if she could escape through the cracks. "We just received the call now sir. They realized three days ago, after reviewing footage made by police because of an unrelated theft. They saw her picture and reported it to their security. It...took awhile to get here."

Running a hand through his greying hair, Bokuseno stood up abruptly and walked towards the agent. He stared at her with unflinching eyes before scoffing. "Get a full report. I want to set up a meeting with the men involved in the reviewing as well as their head of security. And for fuck's sake, I want to see that tape."

The agent nodded quickly. "Yes sir." She wouldn't have run faster if the devil himself was chasing her.

He left the room quickly, storming through the CFPD with a frozen glare and a hard face. He knew the officers and agents around him were hiding or trying to look busy. It was human nature to avoid punishment and accept reward.

When he got Inuyasha and Kagome together, there would be nothing stopping him. They would be out of the way for good and he would be sitting in his home with a big fat sum of reward and a shiny promotion to boot.

Now, all he had to do was get to them first.

* * *

The Brotherhood Mafia was the biggest pain in the ass Inuyasha had ever experienced.

Finding the other connection or player between Ryukotsusei and the mafia wasn't easy at all to find. Whatever he and Shippo managed to dig up was soon buried by walls and fire. Whoever was playing the game covered their tracks well.

"It has to be a professional," Shippo muttered under his breath, staring at the computer screen at a library they were currently sitting in. There were few people around but they still kept their heads low and their voices lower. "I can't find any link between them at all. Without access to the FBI database–"

"I get it," Inuyasha snapped quietly, glaring at a children's book that was lying haphazardly on the floor. "We can't find a connection."

Shippo sighed and stood up, clearing the browser's history before following behind Inuyasha to exit the library. "That leaves us with only one other option."

"Find the Brotherhood Mafia," Inuyasha ground out, pushing out of the door and breathing in the cold air. "Yeah, do you know how much easier said than done that is?"

Shippo gave him a short glare, letting him know that _yes_, _he did get it_. He was an FBI agent too at one point. He shared in all the triumphs and losses that the unit had – just like Inuyasha.

"Where are we even going to start?" the silver-haired man asked, shaking his head and looking up at the sky.

Shippo rubbed at his face, messing up the orange mop of hair before sighing. "Well, this is a majorly long shot but... The pharmaceutical company that Ryukotsusei now owns has their own chain of drug stores."

Inuyasha frowned. "That's not–"

"It's secret information where money lies a bit deeper than under the table," Shippo responded. "I have a lot of connections, I told you."

"None of them come through though," Inuyasha pointed out, smirking at him. He didn't feel like it was a smirking matter, but he was so wrung out on exhaustion that he didn't really know what he was doing anymore.

Shippo laughed a bit, nodding. "At least I know more information than you do."

Inuyasha didn't have much to say about that.

"There are a couple stores in Coral... We could check some of them out and see if any of the clerks know anything. Maybe the managers?"

"You're right," Inuyasha started, looking at the young man beside him, "that is a majorly long shot."

"I know."

"Like fifty football field lengths."

"I get it."

Inuyasha nodded, seemingly pleased as long as the orange-haired man understood. "Fine, then let's do it."

It was a ten minute drive to the first pharmacy that Shippo deemed part of the under-the-table operation. It was a complete and total disaster. The manager of the store was pressing seventy and she looked utterly horrified when Inuyasha mentioned the Brotherhood Mafia. Then she started to look at him closely and they booked it as fast as possible. The next place was five blocks or so away and Shippo volunteered to talk to this one.

The manager was a bit younger but looked fresh-faced. Inuyasha glared at Shippo as he made his way into the windowed store, knowing that this couldn't be it. The lead was a very long, very dead end. He knew that the chances were so slim that slim left the building a long time ago.

And then Shippo was signalling him in, careful not to startle the manager. Inuyasha frowned, stepping out of the truck and making his way to the store. Shippo was talking to the man, nodding a lot before grinning.

"What's going on?" Inuyasha asked quietly, pulling up behind the younger agent. "Anything good?"

"Oh yeah," Shippo said, laughing. "Well for one, I can clearly see the weed bulging out of his pocket."

The man looked like a deer in the headlights, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "No."

Shippo grinned. "Well it doesn't really matter does it? I mean, being an FBI agent and all, I never lie."

Inuyasha frowned even deeper, looking at Shippo. This was definitely not expected in the least bit. "Tell us what you know."

"I don't know anything!" the man exclaimed, looking between the both of them. "You didn't even ask me anything!"

"Where are they?" Shippo asked, taking a step closer.

"Who?"

Shippo just grinned again. "You were on the phone with them a minute ago. I know you're smuggling drugs in here. Tell me where they are and I won't book you."

The man looked between Shippo and Inuyasha quickly before laughing himself, shaking his head. "Yeah, right. You can't prove anything."

"Alright, this is starting to piss me off," Inuyasha growled, stepping into the guy's space and pushing him back against the counter. No one in the store was looking at them or particularly paying attention, but it could be any moment before someone did.

"Hey–" The phone ringing stopped him from talking, making him look nervously at the phone.

"Don't bother," Inuyasha growled. "Where the fuck are they keeping their shit?"

"It's them!" the man said in a hushed whisper, looking at Shippo like he would save him. "I swear. Please."

"Let him Inuyasha. It's not like we're going anywhere."

Inuyasha grumbled under his breath. "Yeah but your face isn't everywhere begging to be arrested."

"Touché."

The man who answered the phone paled considerably the moment he answered it. He tried to run by a couple sentences but nothing worked. Finally, his wide eyes turned to them, the phone held out. "For you."

Inuyasha was instantly on edge, looking around through the windows of the store. No one seemed to be watching them and no one in the store even acknowledged their existence. "Hello?"

"_You want to see Kagome? Meet us at the old Lincoln warehouse on Fifth. Midnight tonight._"

"You going to tell me to come alone?" Inuyasha asked, looking at Shippo.

"_Or she dies_."

Inuyasha wanted to talk to her first but the call ended. He realized that if she wasn't already dead, he had to listen or Kagome would be.

* * *

Kagome winced as pain flood through her arm, tingling down the bone as the splinter of the wood crashed into her.

For minutes – hours, days – she had been struggling to break free. She had found a rusted nail in the trim and all she did was try to get it. She gave up twice, both times bleeding so heavily that she thought she'd die of blood loss if possible. Her fingers were coated with splinters, each sending stabbing pain with attempted grabs and crashing elbows against the damn pole.

She needed to get out of here.

She had almost been caught once, right before food was given to her. In the silence of the basement prison, it wasn't too hard to hear the falling of footsteps down creaking stairs. The problem was that Kagome focused so intently on retrieving the nail that she pushed her luck a bit too far. When she heard them, she barely had time to sit up and hide her hands in her shirt to cover the blood.

The food was odd snacks that were mostly stale and old; crackers with crumbles of cheese or slices of plain sandwich bread. None of it was filling and more often than not her stomach complained loudly. Water was given to her as well, about twice as often as the food. At first she had been stupid and refused to drink, thinking that they would sneer and come back a couple hours later.

She had thought wrong. The first time – and the last – that she refused they didn't give her water for the rest of the day. She was so tired and bloodied and hurt that the lack of hydration only added to it. She quietly accepted the water now from the hands of her potential murderers.

It was weird, seeing all of them. The Brotherhood Mafia was a very popular name without a very popular face. Oh sure, there were records that were hidden away with their information on it. Kagome had been nosey enough to find it one day and manipulate a poor guy into letting her see it. She was a reporter after all.

She had seen every member thus far. She could only name a few of them by looking at their face, the other names just blending in with whatever features the other player had. She recognized Jakotsu, Kyokotsu and Bankotsu from the car. Bankotsu was the leader of the Brotherhood Mafia and he was the one that remained unseen to her in the car when they first picked her up.

And now she was here, lying back down on the cold cement flooring with her hands trying to grasp for the damn nail. Pain still ricocheted up her arm, sending tingling sensations. It almost made her head spin because it was all so much. She was so close though.

Kagome kept digging for it, feeling the nail become more tangible under the bloody pads of her fingers. The nail was almost in her grasp. When it was there, she wouldn't actually know what to do with it. She wasn't sure if it would be the right size to pick the lock on the handcuffs. She didn't even know how to pick locks in the first place.

She pushed at a splintering piece of wood, letting it fall to the cement before grabbing and pulling at the nail. It teased her momentarily, giving a little slip out before stilling once more in the trim. Kagome growled out in frustration before trying again and again and again...

Success.

Kagome almost cried, whether out of happiness for her accomplishment or sadness for her pain, she wasn't sure.

She didn't have long to celebrate though.

The familiar sounds of footfall on the steps snapped her back into harsh reality. She struggled to sit up, arranging her cuffs around the pole so that she could drop the nail into her bra. It was the only place she had that she could think of hiding it. Her pants were too tight and it would be seen. Surely her hands would be grabbed or pulled later on. Wiping her hand on her shirt, still covered in Kaguya's blood from when she was shot earlier, Kagome preyed that none of the men coming down to visit her would notice.

It shocked her when the door opened to reveal all seven men of the Brotherhood Mafia, staring at her intently. One by one they entered through the basement door, looking around the cold and unfurnished room before their eyes landed on her. Bankotsu, the leader of the group, took a closer step forward, crouching down so that he was nearly eye level with her.

"Kagome Higurashi," Bankotsu murmured, showing off a smirk that vaguely reminded her of Inuyasha. Only Inuyasha's were amused and often wry, not...cold. "I take it you're doing well. I've been told you're drinking and eating well."

"It's that or die," Kagome answered, gazing into his hard, dark stare. She struggled a little more with her handcuffs, feeling the old wounds sting with the pressure.

Bankotsu gave a humourless laugh before looking at his men. "Ain't she feisty?"

"A bit too drab if you ask me," Jakotsu replied, rolling his eyes. "And the blood is totally making her face look ashen."

"It could be the lighting," another one suggested, laughing. Kagome didn't know his name specifically, but the photo of his image was still clear in her mind. "You didn't decorate this room Jakotsu."

"Please," the man continued, waving his hand. "As if Bankotsu would let me."

Bankotsu glared at them both, willing them into silence. He finally turned his attention back to Kagome, watching her intently. "I have a couple questions that are pertinent to your survival."

Kagome bit her lower lip, struggling to understand what she was witnessing. "What?" she whispered, too scared to really speak too loud. "What do you want from me?"

"It's not what I want," Bankotsu reassured her, leaning forward and brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "I'm barely a part of this."

"You're the one holding me captive!" The explosive words left her mouth before she could filter them and her eyes widened with realization the moment the slap to her face came.

Her eyes welled with tears but she held them in, continuing to gnaw on her lower lip. "What do you want from me?" she begged, looking at the leader desperately. "Just tell me."

"You and the FBI agent, Inuyasha Taisho," Bankotsu started, dark eyes haunting her. "Were you two involved?" The question seemed out of the blue at best and Kagome's frown obviously tipped the long-haired man off. "This is pertinent, remember Kagome. Tell me honestly."

She didn't want to tell him anything honestly. What if she said yes? Would they hurt Inuyasha? Did they have Inuyasha already? "Where is he?"

Bankotsu's face twisted into an ugly smile before he slapped her again, this time on the other side of her face. It hurt just as much as the first slap, if not more. "Answer me Kagome."

"_No_," she hissed, trying to hold back the sob. "We didn't get the chance."

The next form of punishment came when he pulled her hair, raising her body up with his until she was almost dangling. Bankotsu didn't look pleased. He knew it was a lie and he wasn't going to let her do anything but tell the full truth. "I can't help you if you don't help me."

"You're not trying to help me at all!" Kagome screamed into his face, glaring defiantly at him. "You've been keeping me locked up down here for god only knows how long! This isn't help! This is torture."

He threw her into the pole, her head smashing into the metal as it clanged in retaliation. "Tell me!"

"No!"

"Tell me fucking bitch!" Bankotsu screamed, kicking her in the stomach.

It was a shock to her system, feeling the blow affect every one of her insides until her throat clenched and released. Vomit passed her lips quickly, pooling on the floor by her head as she tried to breathe. "It was a one-time thing, goddammit!" Kagome yelled, coughing as the acidic taste infected her mouth. "We didn't have the chance for it to become more."

Bankotsu seemed to accept this. "Could it have been?"

"Potentially."

Another slap. "Could it have been?"

"Probably."

Another slap.

Kagome couldn't breathe, feeling her head reel at the absolute agony her body felt. "Yes," she choked, sinking to the ground in a heap.

Nodding to one of the men, Bankotsu spoke in a quiet, calm tone. "Renkotsu, remove the handcuffs."

Kagome could barely acknowledge what was going on. She was going to pass out from the spinning in her head. "Why?" she whispered, feeling the stares of the men at the question. "Why was that pertinent?"

Bankotsu grinned. "I just wanted assurance that he would come."

It was like ice water was dumped on her. The feeling of utter cold crept into her body, seeping into her bones as realization struck. "You're contacting him?"

"It's already been done princess," Jakotsu muttered, sighing. "The knight comes to save the damsel. _Boring_."

"No," Kagome whispered. "He won't do it."

"To save the one he loves?" Bankotsu laughed at that, smirk wide. "He won't do anything outrageously stupid if you're at risk. If he didn't love you, he may have. Now we have evidence that he won't."

"You never know," Kagome whispered, hoarse. It was like she had been screaming this entire time, even though it had only been seconds. Maybe her body was shutting down one body function at a time. "He never said it to me."

Kyokotsu stepped up to her, helping Renkotsu grab her and move her along the cement floor. She could barely walk in the state she was in and while she made it as difficult for them as possible, it still wasn't hard to overcome her weak body. "We have further proof. This is just added bonus."

Further proof? So they had her word and someone else's? Whose? Who else would know about their relationship?

Someone else who was stalking them.

Suddenly, the cold knot in her stomach tightened a little bit more and Kagome didn't even bother to warn them before she threw up all over their shoes.

In the back of her mind, she was grinning like a fool for making them unpleased.

"This is why you shouldn't hit a girl," Kagome whispered, glaring pointedly at Bankotsu before falling deadweight and being dragged by the other two men.

* * *

**Just a reminder: to know when the next update will be, check my profile. I usually have dates posted that I'll stick to.**

**Thank you for all of the reviews! It's great to have feedback.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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**Target Locked**

_Chapter Twenty-Three

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_

If Inuyasha had been standing anywhere close to Shippo, the orange-haired man would have probably strangled him to death.

"Goddammit Inuyasha," he cursed, standing at the side of the road with a truck that he would have to hotwire to start and no goddamn clue where the stupid prick went.

It all started in the stupid drug store. It was obvious from the moment that he stepped in that the man was on edge. Maybe it was because he didn't try really hard to hide the bulge of his jacket or maybe it was just because the guy was already as high as a kite. It didn't matter. The man just seemed far too edgy to a normal, happy manager at a calm drug store.

He was on the phone, talking briskly and quietly. Obviously something went wrong because the words _Demon X_ were filling his ears and Shippo knew they had the right place. He took a step closer to the manager, watching the man put down the phone with a huff before actually noticing him.

Shippo looked the guy up and down, noticing the weed that was stuck to his jean pocket. The guy's eyes clearly showed symptoms of it and Shippo wasted no time in signalling Inuyasha to come in.

After that, it all sort of fell apart. The guy got the phone call and handed it to Inuyasha, pale as ever. Inuyasha didn't even spend that much time on the phone. All he did was listen, his amber eyes growing wider by the minute. He hung up and practically screamed, startling everyone in the store. Elderly women gave Inuyasha a disappointed look that he knew the silver-haired man didn't give a shit about.

"Shippo, it's them," Inuyasha blurted in a rush, grabbing his jacket and dragging him out of the store. "They have her."

"We knew that already." Shippo was trying to stay calm even though his own panic was rising at the fact that Inuyasha's was. An FBI agent needs to stay calm at all times. Inuyasha had shown him over their time together that he was more level-headed than a human being should be capable of. Inuyasha was the picture of proper thinking under stressful and often daunting situations. Sure, he cursed a lot and complained, but the man knew what he was doing.

Now? Now Inuyasha was almost a trembling wreck. Shippo had to rip his hand off his jacket, shaking him. "Inuyasha, snap out of it."

"Fuck," Inuyasha swore, glaring at the ground. "What am I going to do?"

"What did they say?" Shippo didn't even know what went on during the conversation – he only knew that it couldn't be good. "How did they even know–?"

"Cameras," Inuyasha murmured, looking around the parking lot. "There must be cameras inside and they must have connections... It's the fucking mafia, Shippo!"

"I know that," he replied, still trying to remain cool and clipped. "What did they say?"

"They want me at that abandoned warehouse on Fifth at midnight. They want me alone, obviously." Inuyasha was still looking around. "We need to get out of here."

"We need help," Shippo suggested, pushing at Inuyasha towards the truck.

Inuyasha started the machine with record time, having no trouble hotwiring it to start. He pulled out of the parking lot with screeching tires and the smell of burning rubber. "That's not an option. He told me to go alone and I'm going to go alone."

"And get killed you idiot," Shippo snapped. "No, we need to get help. We need to come up with a plan to figure this shit out."

"Who the fuck is going to help us?" Inuyasha shouted, glaring at Shippo and smashing his hand down on the steering wheel. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a wanted criminal! I'm being held up for something I didn't do! I've been shot at and targeted and hiding out for weeks now and I'm fucking sick of it! It has to end sometime."

"Not with you dying," Shippo said firmly. His green eyes levelled with Inuyasha's gold. "We need a plan."

"You know what?"

Shippo should've realized that Inuyasha's tone had been far too calm. He should've noticed that when Inuyasha pulled into an unsupervised lot with tons of cars to get into and steal, that he had a big problem on his hands.

Inuyasha silenced the truck and got out, leaving Shippo stumbling behind him, the gravel turning over helplessly under his boots. Inuyasha didn't much care. He started to sort through cars, trying to find one that was unlocked and unsuspecting.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shippo snapped, running over and hitting Inuyasha in the arm. "Get back in that truck!"

"You need to shut up," Inuyasha said right back, his eyes daring for a challenge. "I'm going and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

In the end, there hadn't been. Inuyasha had thrown Shippo into the truck so hard he was seeing stars. By the time he located his head and his eyes, Inuyasha was peeling away down the street in a new stolen car. It was infuriating at best and now Shippo was trying desperately to get the truck going.

"Come on, come on," he repeated, over and over as if it would help the engine to start. Finally, when the truck stuttered and roared to life, Shippo looked up and pressed his lips together. His next task would be far more difficult.

Looking at his watch, he realized that it was just past nine at night. He had to do something. Inuyasha was bound to do something stupid. The look in his eyes after the call had been made was almost as terrifying as it was strange. Inuyasha was going to do whatever it took to get Kagome safe, even if he killed himself in the process.

There was only one person that Shippo could think of. There was only one person that could possibly help him in this situation. Even then it would be a huge stretch and he felt like too many stretches in a day were starting to wear him down.

But he had to do something. Inuyasha was going to die otherwise.

"Shit, shit, shit," Shippo cursed, frowning and starting to pull the truck out of the parking lot.

He didn't have that much time, but he'd have to make it work.

He'd just have to.

* * *

It was like midnight was never going to come.

Inuyasha was practically ripping everything to shreds. It was hard to concentrate on being silent and calm and deadly accurate when all he could think about was Kagome. Kagome could be sick, or hurt, or terrified, or _dead_. The thought of it alone made him sick to his stomach.

It was strange, how he felt. Not that he thought his actions were too dramatic or not nearly dramatic enough. It was just...them.

Fuck.

Kagome was probably the most amazing person he knew in the short time that he knew her. It had been – what – almost two weeks since the bomb exploded. He didn't really count seeing her at the gym as their first real meeting. Their conversation had been more of a heated argument. Thinking back, he couldn't quite recall what it had been about.

Breathing deeply, Inuyasha rested his head against the leather seat, closing his eyes. The truck was parked two blocks away from the building and when it was just about midnight he would drive just a bit closer, hide the vehicle, and then walk the rest of the way. It was too dangerous to leave the truck far away where he couldn't get at it, but then again too close left the vehicle open to tampering by the other team, effectively killing his only escape.

Thinking about Kagome made him relax a little and he settled back on those thoughts. He still had almost an hour, waiting alone in the darkness for midnight to strike.

Kagome... _Goddammit_. He shouldn't have ever let her out of his sight. The very thought of her being tortured and held against her will was enough to have him destroy everything and anything in sight. Shippo just didn't get it.

Inuyasha thought that this was the part where he admitted his love for the woman – the reporter that came into his life and ended up being the only thing in it. The problem was that he long ago knew of this, of his love and unusual compassion towards the raven-haired beauty. The even bigger problem was that he never told her. They made love and he didn't tell her because it was in a cheap motel room hidden off a desolate gravel road and _shit_ he wanted it to be more than just _desperation_ to be alive and normal.

The one time he actually thought with his head and not his gut and he'd been wrong. Now he may never have a chance to tell her. Inuyasha wasn't stupid. He'd been with the FBI for as long as he could remember. Work had always consumed his life. His career was everything. And then a bomb went off, he followed his gut to hide the woman away and ended up losing his career. Now, he was about to lose so much more.

The chances of Inuyasha surviving this were slim. He knew better than most. Hostage situations were never good situations. More often than not, there were always casualties. This didn't matter though because he was going in on a mission: rescue Kagome at all costs. Let her live to tell the story and get the evidence needed to convict Ryukotsusei and Naraku and the fucking Brotherhood Mafia. He needed her to bring the bad guys down and show them that they could kill, hide and lie but justice would always have its day.

Or something like that.

He looked at the clock, noting that he still had a solid twenty minutes before deciding that now was as good of a time as any. If he was going to die anyways, he might as well get it over with. He drove the truck less than a block away from the warehouse, hiding it in the trees. The rest of the way he sprinted, sticking to the tree line and remaining in the shadows.

The warehouse looked abandoned. The lights were all off but instinctively Inuyasha knew there were men everywhere. Gun in hand, Inuyasha snuck around, shooting the first man that came into sight and narrowly missing a blow to his head. He ducked, swinging his body around and sent his gun flying at the man. The butt of the gun pierced the temple, leaving the attacker to crumple to the ground. Inuyasha shot him for good measure.

He cleared the gun away from the first man, tucking it into the back of his waistline before continuing on. He could hear pounding footsteps as he entered the warehouse, unable to see anything behind a foot in front of him. He stuck close to the walls, straining to listen to the echoes of men's footfalls against the tile. There were two more of them coming his way. The moment he was sure they were close, he stopped, barely breathing while he lifted his gun. Inuyasha dived forward, firing his weapon over and over until he heard jagged breathing. Two bodies fell to the floor and he cleared them, shooting them each once more when he realized he was out of bullets.

Swearing softly, he followed his training instinct and continued forwards with the gun he had tucked away. The cool metal was reassurance in his hands, reminding him of all the dangerous situations he'd entered and survived. Back then he had Kevlar to block the bullets. Now, he only had flesh and blood. In his mind, he counted, realizing that there were only three more to go of the Brotherhood Mafia. He knew the group was too cocky to enlist hired help but the sinking realization that he could be wrong almost made him stumble.

No, he needed to get to Kagome. He needed to get to her now.

A few more feet ahead and a staggering blow to his gut made him fall down, struggling to aim his weapon before he fired, over and over. The bullets he wasted cut through every part of him, but the feel of gun metal against his body was warning enough to fire until death. He could hear muffled voiced ahead of him, running away. He leapt to his feet, grabbing his attacker's gun and making his way across the hall until up ahead he saw his destination.

Instinctively, he knew. He was _there_.

_Kagome_.

It wasn't hard to find the light. In the whole dark building surrounded by goons and cowards with knives and guns, there was one room with commercial lighting. She had to be there.

Taking a deep breath, Inuyasha checked the firearm in his hands, patting along his waistline for the other gun that was tucked away there. He'd already gone through one gun but with most of the Brotherhood Mafia taken down, he couldn't imagine he'd need all those bullets.

Then again, he didn't expect to be shot at first.

The small sneeze was just barely audible to him. He leapt to the other side of the hall before the echo was complete and he watched with wide, golden-eyed horror as a bullet pounded through the wall. "Hold your goddamn fire!" Inuyasha shouted. "You wanted me here, didn't you?"

He barely held his breath, his body already crouching low with his muscles tense. Inuyasha was like a coil ready to spring, too hyped up to be anything but ready. Low laughter, rough and like sandpaper flowed down the hall.

"Come here Inuyasha. We've been waiting for you," the deep voice boomed and Inuyasha squeezed the firearm once more before starting to travel forwards. He wasn't shot at again but he might as well have been.

There was Kagome and he almost stumbled back in shock at the sight. She was tied up tightly in a chair, her entire body covered with duct tape and rope. Her face was whiter than a sheet, her dark brown eyes oddly dull. She looked at him, blinking constantly like she was trying to tell him a message that her taped lips couldn't.

Inuyasha nodded. He knew what she was trying to say – _trap_. It didn't matter though. He wasn't just going to leave her there to die.

Lifting his gun, he was unsurprised to see the remaining two men of the Brotherhood Mafia standing by her side, their guns levelled at him. He didn't know who was who, but he assumed that one was the leader while the other was just...odd. If he was going to die, he sure as hell was going to make sure neither of them got the kill shot.

"Put the gun down Inuyasha," the man with the booming voice said, shaking his head so that his long braided black hair twisted around his shoulder. "Let's try to make this civil, shall we?"

"How about you go fuck yourself?" Inuyasha spat, having none of it. "Untie her. She has nothing to do with this. Whoever you're working for doesn't need her."

The expression of the man with the braided hair didn't change, while the other man, shorter and thinner, looked surprised. "You're smart," the first man said, shrugging. "But you still came here."

Inuyasha tried to get a read on the second man, watching him out of the corner of his eye. "It's not like you gave me a fucking choice. You've gotten Kagome's role out of the way, now let her go. I'm here and that's all you want."

"Jakotsu," the first man said, grinning wickedly. "Why don't you show Inuyasha what we do with the people who have fulfilled their purposes?"

The smaller man, Jakotsu, gave a small smile and lowered his weapon so that the barrel was mere inches from Kagome's head. "She was a pretty one. Too bad it's going to waste."

"You do that and I'll have no option but to kill you both. I'm pretty sure you don't want me dead yet," Inuyasha started, still trying to read Jakotsu, "so that'll make stopping me a bit harder."

There. The look on Jakotsu's face tightened, like he was worried or something. Inuyasha had nailed the situation right on the head and the inner FBI agent in him was barking out new thoughts, new commands.

"I think I have it figured out," Inuyasha said suddenly, watching the leader's face twist into an ugly scowl. "You're just the dirty henchman working for a big guy up top, isn't that right? You kidnap and use Kagome to lure me here, to make me compliant to do whatever you want. It's strange. The Brotherhood Mafia isn't exactly famous for getting their hands dirty."

"Bankotsu," Jakotsu muttered, risking a glance back.

"Shut the fuck up," the leader hissed, turning his eyes back to Inuyasha. "And put the damn gun down or Kagome dies."

"And then I'll kill you both before you even have time to blink," Inuyasha snapped, glaring at the two. "I guess it's bad for business when your main supplier for your product gets caught by the police, huh? With Naraku Morikawa going behind bars and all of his product seized, you're not exactly the cream of the crop now, are you?"

Inuyasha watched as the two men merely stood there, waiting and watching. It gave him an odd sense of dread, but the FBI agent in him told him to keep talking and to buy some time until there was a loophole or escape route. He needed time to figure it out. "So you instantly take interest in pharmaceuticals because hell, if you can't sell _Demon X_, you're going to need something new to keep up the profits. This is where Ryukotsusei comes in. Kaguya Ohta doesn't want to share but Ryukotsusei sees the potential. You have the resources to kidnap her and then bam, she's dead and you suddenly have a very promising deal."

Bankotsu smiled. "You think you have it all figured out, don't you?"

"No," Inuyasha replied, shrugging. "The Ryukotsusei and Kaguya scenario is more or less an educated guess. The rest, I'll bet, is spot on."

Jakotsu grinned, looking at Bankotsu. "He's good."

"Fuck off," Bankotsu snarled, waving the gun slightly. "Put the–"

"I'm not done," Inuyasha interrupted. "You finally get things underway when all of a sudden, a better deal comes along. Someone in some big, shiny position gives you the chance of a lifetime. All you need to do is kidnap the two runaways that stand in the way. You're going to kill the girl because all she means now is a witness to your crimes. Me, however, I'm not going to die." He would've smirked had the situation been different. "I'd like to bet I'm the fucking lab rat that gets to take all of the shit for what's happened and then gets to run around in a maze of trials and prison cells."

Bankotsu's eyes turned sharp and instantly, Inuyasha was wary, tensing–

"Put the gun down."

The voice was familiar, hauntingly so, and Inuyasha couldn't help the smirk that crossed his features. The FBI agent in him was proud of how well he could put it together. Now that he knew, it was even easier to spot the little things. The police issued handcuffs that were binding Kagome's wrists. The big consolation prize for the Brotherhood Mafia if they got their hands dirty. The reason that someone needed to take the fall because Naraku already had.

"I'd like to think you're here to kick my ass for not showing up to work but then again, I guess you're more than pleased with the outcome."

Bokuseno chuckled darkly behind him. Cold metal was placed on Inuyasha's forehead and instant understanding was given. This was just luck. Pure, amazing luck. Luck that Kagome talked on the news about the mafia and the gangs. Luck that Kagome had a bomb in her purse when she came that day to the building. Luck that Inuyasha's instinct was to hide the woman instead of take her into custody.

Bokuseno got lucky far too many times for Inuyasha's liking.

"You could say that," the head of the FBI unit said, his voice content. "I had been needing a way to protect myself ever since the bastard Naraku was caught. You were like my guardian angel, sent down to cover my ass."

"Because, after all," Inuyasha startled, "you are a dirty cop."

Bokuseno laughed, the action jolting the gun on Inuyasha's head. "Drop the weapon Taisho. I'll only say this once."

"You're not going to kill me," Inuyasha said firmly, although he did lower the gun. "You need me to take the fall. I guess you were one of the many suppliers of _Demon X_ too, weren't you? You knew the inside investigation going on and how close detectives were getting to his information."

"It was going to ruin my career," Bokuseno agreed. "I think letting the Brotherhood Mafia have immunity is a fair trade for the shiny promotion I'll be getting for this capture."

"You might as well kill me too," Inuyasha said shortly, growling. "I'm going to fight you every step of the way."

"Not when all the evidence points against you." If anything, the gun was pressed a little harder to his head. He felt strong hands rip away the firearm he held. "I must say Inuyasha you had enough _Demon X_ in your apartment to sell to a few thousand people. That's a lot of money. It'd be pretty easier to disappear with all that. Too bad your reporter girlfriend decided that she wanted out. It was necessary for you to kill her." Bokuseno made a noise sounding remotely like pride for his nicely woven story. "There's so much evidence against you that no matter what you say, you're going down for this."

"I'll die first," Inuyasha growled.

Bokuseno shook his head, pushing Inuyasha forcefully so that he was only a foot away from Kagome, on his knees. Her big eyes were still on him, watching like none of it was real. "No. My big promotion won't come if I kill you. I need to capture at least one villain in this mess. It won't be hard to find Agent Watanabe and kill him too. He smartly disappeared after you were captured since he, of course, was an accomplice. We'll put out a nice warrant on his head until we find his body a few years later. Another case closed by me."

Inuyasha could almost hear the smile. "Rot in hell, you fucking bastard."

"Not for a long time, Taisho. Not for a long time." Suddenly, Inuyasha felt his gun back in his hand, held there securely by Bokuseno. The leader of the FBI unit nodded towards Bankotsu, who in turn held another gun to Inuyasha's head, replacing the one Bokuseno removed. Inuyasha struggled slightly, feeling his chest tighten as bile rose in his throat. His hand was moved into position, his fingers held in place by Bokuseno's gloved hand. "Now, kill her Taisho."

That was it. Inuyasha fought back, as hard as he could against the death grip his boss had on him. He struggled against the tight wrap around his body, suddenly seeing black dots line his vision as pain flooded through his head. Bankotsu whacked him with the gun again, this time across his neck, making breathing nearly impossible. He collapsed to the floor, body almost on the ground when his arm was held up.

Bokuseno laughed. "Your gun is going to kill your girlfriend and you have nothing to say? What a shame."

Inuyasha had a lot to say and a lot to make up for. His hand fought against the foreign grip, quickly looking at Kagome.

She was beautiful, even broken like this. Her eyes were closed and her body was visibly shaking, knowing what was to come. He should've done more to protect her.

"I love you," he whispered, lashing out one more time before the gunshot echoed against the walls.

It was all over.

* * *

**Next chapter is the last, obviously.**


	24. Chapter 24

**The end is here.**

**This was NOT edited. I shall do that later, when I'm not slitting my wrists over this chapter. I hate writing the end.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

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* * *

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**Target Locked**

_Chapter Twenty-Four_

_

* * *

_

It was strange for Inuyasha to watch Kagome fall, knowing that he was the cause of it.

"Get down right now!"

There were gunshots everywhere.

There was screaming everywhere.

All Inuyasha was focused on was Kagome and how her big eyes were trained on him, telling him everything she needed to say even with her lips taped shut. He held onto her tightly, wrenching her from the chair and pulling her close to his body.

The first gunshot had terrified the shit out of him.

There was the initial moment of blinding panic. His fingers were so tense, so still when the sneeze of the bullet crashed through the room. Suddenly there was a weight on top of him, crushing him. Kagome's eyes were wide, horror-struck as her chair wiggled on its four legs. And that was it for him.

His body reacted like it always would. He leapt into the air, toppling her chair over with him covering her body as best as he could.

"Kagome," he whispered, desperately, uncontrollably. "Kagome."

Suddenly he was looking around the room, seeing his gun just a few inches from his left land. He reached for it, thumbing off the safety, scanning the crowd. The first thing he saw was Special Agent Rin Noto, firing off a shot before her face crumpled in pain and she stumbled backwards. The second thing he saw was Bankotsu staring blankly, hand clutching his chest. In an instant the dying man's gun was raised to fire for one final time.

Inuyasha didn't hesitate. He fired two more shots, feeling the recoil tug at his shoulder. There was a flash of pain, the smell of gun powder filling his senses and suddenly everything went still, quiet.

"Inuyasha?" Shippo's sharp voice filled the spacious room, echoing against the walls. "Are you hurt?"

"No," Inuyasha responded, surprised at rough sound of his voice. Instantly he dropped the gun, turning to see Kagome. Her eyes were closed but he could hear the soft noise of her breathing. "Here," he whispered, gently tugging at the tape until finally ripping it off. Kagome winced, a quiet whine leaving her lips.

Soon Shippo was shooting out orders, calling for emergency attention. He was reporting the incident, the shots fired and that an agent was down.

Hurrying to untie Kagome, Inuyasha ripped her free of the ropes and carefully pulled her from the chair. "Kagome, are you okay?"

Her big brown eyes stared at him, terror-filled and worried. Quickly she shook her head, running her hands along her body as if to remind herself that she was in no way broken. "The girl- she's- Inuyasha," Kagome mumbled, staring just past him to Shippo kneeling on the ground.

Inuyasha ran over, his hand tight on Kagome's wrist. "Shippo, what the _hell_ are you doing here?" That wasn't anything like what he was planning on saying, but it seemed just as good as any place to start.

Shippo glared at him momentarily before turning his attention back to Rin's fallen form. The woman was lying on the ground, breathing shallow as dark crimson ran across her arm.

"Good to see...you, Agent," Rin panted, focusing on Inuyasha momentarily before turning her attention back to the ceiling. "Always...doubted the...charges."

Inuyasha nodded, bending down to help as Shippo wrapped torn cloth around her shoulder. "Where were you shot?"

"It's her shoulder," Shippo replied, staring at Rin momentarily before turning his attention back to the wound. "There's another round at her chest but we're wearing our vests. It's why she's winded."

"Of course I get...shot _there_," Rin said, shaking her head briefly as if to snap out of it. She groaned slightly, turning her head to see the blood spotting her shoulder. "Just freaking _great_."

"At least your attitude didn't go anywhere," Shippo mused, rolling his eyes. "Medics are on their way so just keep breathing. Stop shaking your head."

"Sesshomaru is so going to...laugh at me, the bastard," Rin mumbled, instantly turning her eyes to Inuyasha. "Oh."

Inuyasha frowned a bit, opening his mouth to question when a soft hand touched his shoulder. "Kagome?"

Kagome's eyes were fixed on Rin, wide and uncertain. "Is she okay?" The words were soft, barely heard over the female agent's breathing and Shippo's occasional grunt.

"I'm fine," Rin answered, finally sounding a bit stronger. "It's no biggie. I'll just be spending some downtime at the hospital." She sighed. "The joy."

Shippo huffed out a breath, his glare returning to Inuyasha. "You're the biggest idiot I know. You _left _me in a parking lot with a stolen vehicle."

"You were going to _stop _me," Inuyasha countered. "I didn't have an option."

"We needed help."

"You got the help shot."

Rin sighed. "Will you two please shut up?"

Shippo didn't look like he was about listen when he finally bit his lip. His attention was drawn back to the down agent for a moment before looking back up. "We heard everything, all the shit that Bokuseno said." The orange-haired agent sighed again, looking somewhat torn. "Shit is going to hit the fan, you realize that right? You can't run anymore. We can fight this."

Inuyasha looked up at Kagome, watching her brown eyes flicker with emotion before finally nodding. She wasn't going to run anymore.

"We _can _fight this," Rin said, looking at the other three with conviction. Her words were repetitive of Shippo's, but the meaning was starkly different. There was something in her tone that made them look at her. "I have proof," she whispered, as if it was a secret.

The next hour and a bit was a blur, a whirlwind of emotions and threats as medics and police filled the scene, the FBI entering moments later. Inuyasha and Kagome were arrested on the spot, read their rights as they were dragged away.

Kagome was crying. Inuyasha was spitting out every swear word imaginable as he tried to repeat over and over the truth.

It didn't matter at that point in time since even the most obvious proof wouldn't have stopped the arrest. As Rin left in the ambulance and Inuyasha and Kagome were taken away in separate cars, Shippo remained behind to tell the truth.

What he told them shocked not just the agents, the police, the city, country and the nation; it shocked the world.

* * *

It took two days before Inuyasha and Kagome were released.

It took another week before the police stopped watching them.

It wasn't until their stories were cross-checked and double-checked and the incriminating evidence was triple-checked before they were officially and immediately removed as suspects. A fingerprint had been found from the scattered and broken pieces of the bomb that verified the role of the Panther Gang. DNA evidence found on the inside of the _Demon X_ packaging matched that of Bokuseno Suzuki.

The FBI immediately sent out statements to the press, explaining the process that took place and why the evidence hadn't been provided sooner. Why had it taken so long? Why was there such a great chase for two individuals that were always victims?

Inuyasha and Kagome weren't allowed to leave the state for a while, at least until the investigation was completely over. The FBI sent out personal apologies to each.

Inuyasha Taisho quietly resigned.

He also quietly took a large sum of cash, which he personally liked to call "emotional-trauma/shut-up" money.

He didn't complain.

* * *

News about the major conspiracy flew worldwide. Newspapers, television shows and magazines wrote about the incident. Talk show hosts tried to get the couple to make an appearance, magazines asked for photos and a tell-all story.

Neither of them agreed.

One month later, news started to die as another huge conspiracy took place.

RCN News conveniently took the side of Inuyasha and Kagome, claiming the fault of the FBI and the CFPD for not doing their responsibilities to the fullest. Evidence wasn't considered at every angle. Witnesses weren't as thoroughly talked to.

Regardless, Kagome Higurashi was later promoted to a position that was out of the spotlight, with a big desk and a flashy name plate.

She was Myoga's brand new boss.

* * *

It was on February 24th, almost two months since Kagome and Inuyasha first met, that everything was resolved.

The case was finally closed, with TOX reports claiming _Demon X _was not only in Bokuseno's system but all over his house in tiny traces. With the proof of his DNA inside the packaging that Rin had found, and the witness statements of both Rin and Shippo, there was very little doubt about it.

Naraku Morikawa was sentenced to prison, guilty on all charges and spending more than half of his life in jail.

At this point in time, Kagome was entering the new condo that she and Inuyasha were sharing with groceries in her hand. "I'm back!" she called, rolling her eyes when Inuyasha's noncommittal grunt was all she got in return.

The former FBI agent was sitting on the couch in the living room, eyes glued to the television as video feed of Naraku entering the courthouse showed on the TV screen. "He's gone for good," he murmured, turning his head to watch as Kagome entered. "Need help with those?"

Shaking her head, Kagome continued on into the kitchen, smiling when Inuyasha's soft footsteps followed close behind. "There were only four people that approached me today," she said, taking the food out of the plastic grocery bags.

Wrapping his arms around her middle, he pulled her body up against his, kissing her hair. "That's good," he murmured. "How was work?"

"Fine," Kagome answered, tilting her head to smile up at him. She kissed him softly, taking her time to feel the press of her soft lips against hers before turning away. "Sango and Miroku are bringing dinner with them."

"What are we having?"

Kagome shrugged. "I have no clue whatsoever. I guess we'll see when they get here."

Inuyasha growled slightly, tucking her hair back and pulling her impossibly closer. "So we've got nothing to do until then, right?"

Kagome let out a whisper of a moan, turning around to face him. "Well, your brother is coming over with his girlfriend."

The next growl that left his mouth was totally different than the previous one. "I still can't fucking believe it. I'm going to kill him."

Laughing and pushing away, Kagome returned her attention to the groceries. "Don't kill him yet. He's the only one that's helping her get around now that she's out of the hospital. It's her right shoulder so she can't write anything with her arm in the sling."

"I'm still going to kill him," Inuyasha grumbled. "Did you know he was hitting on her when they were investigating the cottage?"

Kagome shrugged, letting a small smile show. "Did you know that we got together because we were suspected of terrorism – me for a bomb and you for drugs? It's crazy, isn't it?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "It's totally different."

"It's totally the same," Kagome countered, laughing again when he huffed. "Why do you hate your brother so much?"

"Do I have to keep reminding you that it's _half_-brother and not _brother_?"

Rolling her eyes, Kagome tried to get some more work done before Inuyasha was pulling at her, tugging at the zipper of her sweater. When it seemed impossible to ignore him any longer, she turned around and stared at him pointedly. "Do you want–?"

Inuyasha wasted no time in silencing her, sealing his lips over hers and drowning out the sound of her voice. Sliding the zipper down, he took off her sweater and made quick work of the tank top she wore underneath. "You wear way too much clothing," he whispered on her skin, kissing his way down her neck.

"You never let me get anything done," Kagome complained, letting her body wrapped itself around him as he lifted her on top of the counter. "You're going to put these away after, just to make it up to me."

"After what?" The question was rhetorical, the teasing glint in his amber eyes bringing out the fondness in hers.

She grabbed his face gently, pulling his head up so that she could press her lips against his. "Stop talking please," she murmured, nibbling at his lower lips and licking her way into his mouth.

They kissed like that for what felt like forever, heated moments of passion as his hands ran up and down her body, sending sparks through her system. She moaned into the kiss, pulling him closer as her legs wrapped around his waist.

Suddenly she was in the air, feeling the cool air brush against her back as he led them to the bedroom. Soon the sheets curled around her body and she was pressed into the mattress. She made quick work of his shirt, tracing all of the curves and muscles on his body.

"Mm, want you," he murmured in her ear, kissing his way across her jaw and down her throat.

Kagome tightened her grip on him, letting a content sigh pass through her lips. "Then take me."

* * *

The moment Sango and Miroku burst through the doors, the peace that was once their hotel room became utter chaos. Food was brought into the kitchen, sorted out and kept warm until Sesshomaru and Rin arrived.

The tornado occurred when the final couple arrived, dessert in hand as they entered through the doorway.

"How are you feeling?" Kagome asked, coming quickly to take the dessert out of her good hand.

Rin smiled at her. "I'm feeling _fine_. Everyone can just stop asking me that already."

"Now where's the fun in that?" Inuyasha asked, smirking at her before glaring up at his half-brother. "Sesshomaru."

"Inuyasha," the older one said, glaring right back.

"Well this isn't awkward," Miroku said, laughing when Sango hit him in the chest. Holding out his hand, he took Rin's good one and kissed it. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Miroku."

Rin raised her brows before looking at Sango. "Is he yours?"

Sango sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing at her face. "Unfortunately."

Pouting, Miroku turned around to grab Sango's ass. "I think you said that wrong."

Flicking him in the face, Sango growled. "Hand off ass, _now_."

"Alright," Kagome called, getting everyone's attention. "The living room is _that_ way!"

Slowly they made their way over, gathering on the couches as Sango and Kagome got everyone drinks.

"So did you hear about Naraku?" Miroku asked, looking seriously at Inuyasha. "He's finally put away for good."

"Thank god for that," Rin murmured. "The guy got what he deserved."

Kagome and Sango came in soon after that, handing out drinks and getting the snacks started. "Did you hear? Inuyasha and I are allowed to leave the state again." While her smile and words were playful, Kagome could still feel the flutter in her heart when she thought back to the time when she was constantly running, constantly on edge.

"Well congratulations to that," Miroku cheered, raising his glass to them. "After a hitwoman and the Panther Gang and the goddamn Brotherhood Mafia, you two are still here and partying."

Inuyasha snorted, rolling his eyes. "There was a lot more crap than that."

"You forgot the dirty FBI agent," Rin pointed out. "And the personal assistant of a major pharmaceutical company who is currently under investigation thanks to Kagome's statement."

"Kaguya was the dirty one," Kagome agreed, looking at Inuyasha. "She was the one that started the link between her and Naraku. She's the one that hired Yura, the hitwoman, to kill us because she was afraid that I would expose her."

"When Bokuseno was found guilty for the _Demon X_, the FBI looked into his personal things," Rin started. "They found information on Gatenmaru Koyasu, the case Inuyasha was looking into. Apparently some of his funds were traced back to Kaguya's company. There were emails linking him to Ryukotsusei, the personal assistant, and we found out that the two of them were blackmailing her. Since Bokuseno already had ties with the mafia, he used them to get to Kaguya so he could get the shut-up money and Ryukotsusei could take over her company."

"And then he kidnapped Kagome to get to me, so that he could pin her murder along with everything else on my case," Inuyasha finished, shaking his head. "Fucking bullshit."

"Complicated as hell, but not bullshit," Sango corrected. "Bokuseno had a really good thing going. He had millions of dollars from Kaguya, enough _Demon X_ to keep him wealthy for a long while, an outstanding and highly respected career and ties with one of the most unstoppable groups in America."

Sesshomaru shrugged. "It's not that complicated."

"Oh shut up," Inuyasha quipped.

"I'm not the one out of a job," the older one muttered.

Kagome grinned. "Actually, he's starting up his own service. What was it? He's helping those who were getting screwed by the law with investigative work."

"I've already got a couple pending clients," Inuyasha said, shrugging. "It'll be fine for now. At least until everything dies down around here."

"It will," Rin reassured them, smiling. "At least you're old news now."

Kagome laughed, nodding her head. "You should've seen how badly he wanted to punch some of them," she said. "He was practically shaking with the urge."

Inuyasha glared at her. "I was not."

"You were so."

"I was _not_, Kagome."

"Inuyasha, don't make me–"

"Who wants dinner?" Sango yelled, standing up suddenly and heading towards the kitchen.

Sesshomaru looked up at the ceiling. "Thank fucking god."

* * *

At the end of the night when everyone finally left, Kagome watched with amusement as Inuyasha leaned against the door as if to ward the evil out.

"We are never doing that again," he said firmly, nodding as if to reassure himself. "Ever."

"Oh come on," Kagome said playfully, tugging at the front of his shirt. "It wasn't all that bad consider what the last couple months have been like."

Inuyasha's eyes softened a bit, his arms winding around her small frame to pull her close. "It'll always get better."

"Yeah, I know," she murmured, kissing his chest. "Ready for bed? I'll clean everything up tomorrow."

Inuyasha smirked, picking her up and bringing her into the bedroom. The mattress dipped as he laid Kagome on top of it, taking his time removing the clothing and kissing every inch of her skin. Kagome easily returned the favour.

When the lights finally went out, Inuyasha ran his hands through her long wavy hair. "I promise everything is going to get better from here."

Kagome sighed, already feeling sleep tug on her senses. Her head was pillowed on Inuyasha's shoulder, feeling the heat of his body curl around her. "As long as I've got you. I love you."

"I love you," he whispered. The quiet lingered on as Inuyasha continued to toy with her hair, occasionally rubbing her back. "Kagome?"

"Mhmm?" She sounded like she was seconds away from sleep.

"You've got me – forever."

A second later and he was sure that she was asleep, already passed out from the busy day. It wasn't until her lips brushed against his collarbone that he smirked.

"Forever."

* * *

**Thank you to everyone that has reviewed this story. There are so many I can't possibly name all of you but I'm still just as grateful. You're the reason I keep posting.**

**#1: The poll will be closed tomorrow so if you want to put in your opinion go, go, go :)**

**#2: I feel like people asked me questions for this story and I didn't answer them. So. If you have them, and they are of reasonable length, I will absolutely respond.**

**#3: No sequel. I hate sequels. The sequels I am doing are...well, only there because I have evil plans.**

**Love Witchy**


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